|
The healing traditions of old Hawaii were called witchcraft by Christian missionaries shortly after the 'discovery' of
Hawaii by Captain Cook. Here is a quick look under that ominous label.
Na aumakua mai ka la hiki a ka la kau
Your ancestral deities from the sun descended to earth
mai ka ho'oku'i a ka halawai
from the arch of heaven to the horizon
na aumakua ia Kahina'akua ia Kahina'alo
your ancestral deities Kahina'akua and Kahina'alo
Ia ka'a akau ikalani...
have gone beyond to the heavens ...
Many native Hawaiians love to talk story to
sincerely interested people. If
you are fortunate enough to meet a Hawaiian kupuna (elder) or a kahuna (expert),
be polite, be quiet and pay
attention to the stories you may hear.
I and my friends who study and use traditional Hawaiian
shamanism pay attention to stories
that reflect the old culture, especially if those stories involve mental or physical
healing. We are fascinated by the old arts of
ho'oponopono (healing relationships),
ho'omanamana (energy work), la'au lapa'au (healing by
herbs) and la'au kahea (healing by chants).
And to understand Hawaiian huna, you may need to delve into
its roots in the South Pacific - in the Marquesas Islands and far away in New
Zealand. The diamonds are there - but you have to dig for them!
My primary teacher of la'au lapa'au was Papa Henry Auwae of
Hilo, Hawaii. Papa died in 2001 and my fellow students and I honor his memory.
He gave us many hints, tips and clues - not only on traditional Hawaiian healing
but also on the underlying consciousness required to achieve
lasting results. For more on this search see Awaiku.
Short-term results is a curse amongst healers ... and more than
any of my other Hawaiian teachers, Papa Henry showed me the basis of long-term results
... how to recognize and change the relationships that give rise to
emotions that support or cause mental or physical symptoms that
usually have some benefits. As Papa
Henry said, "Sooner or later, your body reflects your relationships" and
"What is the point of healing someone if they learn nothing from their
diseases?"
Elder Hawaiian healers recognized illness caused by external
relationships (mawaho) and diseases caused by internal imbalances
(maloko). Mawaho illnesses required
ho'oponopono with the living and the
dead, while maloko disease required herbal remedies (la�au
lapa�au). Many diseases required both.
Papa Henry referred to many Western diseases, such as AIDS or
multiple sclerosis, as
cancer - he was more concerned about finding solutions than medical
diagnosis. Some of Papa Henry's advice was counter to other Hawaiian healers
- particularly perhaps concerning noni fruit. Although many Hawaiian healers
promote and use this fruit,
Papa Henry was concerned about its noxious effects.
I integrated many Hawaiian shamanic techniques into our systemic
coaching.
Ma ka hana ka 'ike
Gain knowledge by doing
Some sources estimate that the native population of Hawaii was
about 300,000 when Captain Cook arrived in 1778; but by 1853 it was about
71,000. mostly because of epidemics of Western diseases that the Kahuna healers
had never encountered before.
Here's an old story about the origin of la'au lapa'au
in Hawaii ...
Talking Story in 1929 (from Honolulu Advertiser)
In the old days, strangers from kahiki came to Hawaii.
They landed at Ni'ihau, and visited all the islands. Wherever the strangers went,
villagers became sick and many died. They were followed by another stranger,
Kamakanuiaha'ilono, a kahuna who healed the sick. In this way they went
to the Ka'u district of Hawaii. The people of Ka'u expressed aloha (love) with
gifts of food and awa (narcotic drink) to the kahuna. The kahuna noticed a red
man working in a taro patch and asked about him. The people explained that the
red man was Lono - their chief. The kahuna said that Lono was sick - although
the villagers protested that their chief was healthy. "Take care of him",
said the kahuna, and left.
Lono was so angry at being called sick that he accidentally speared
his own foot with his digging stick, and fainted from the pain. One of the villagers
ran after the healer with a pig as a gift, and asked the healer to heal their chief.
The healer returned to Lono, gathering popolo seeds as he walked. He
pounded the seeds together with salt and placed the mixture on the wound with a
covering of coconut cloth. He remained with Lono until the wound healed, and
again left the village, walking towards Puna.
Lono ran after him. The kahuna asked Lono why he was following. Lono
replied that he wanted to learn the healing skills, and that he had already delegated
his chiefly duties to his heirs. The kahuna asked Lono to open his mouth - spat
in it as a symbol of the knowledge that would pass between them. The kahuna
added the name puha (sore) to Lono - who was then known as Lonopuha.
They followed the strangers from Kahiki, healing people through the
districts of Ka'u, Puna, Hilo and Hamakua. Lonopuha learned to recognize and
treat the diseases that followed the strangers. By the time they arrived at
Waipi'o, Lonopuha was so proficient that the kahuna suggested that they part, so
that Lonopuha could gain his reputation. The kahuna went to Kukui-haele and
Lonopuha to Waimana.
Lonopuha settled in Waipi'o, working as a healer. His Aumakua gave
him more and more healing knowledge. As his fame grew, he became a famous kumu (teacher),
and even his students were in demand for their skills. Lonopuha became known as
ka po'o kahuna la'au lapa'au - "the first head healer" and after his death he
became the first Aumakua of the kahuna haha (a class of healer kahuna). The land
around Kukui-haele became famous as a land of heiau temples.
In the following years, inspired by Lonopuha, the methods for
healing the sick continued to develop. Another student of the strange kahuna
healer, Puheke, had also became a great kahuna, and trained his son Pahala. When
Puheke was about to die, he instructed his son Pahala that after the flesh was
stripped from his bones (part of a ritual for the dead) Pahala was to carefully
examine his organs, to learn about the cause of his death. Pahala found that the
bowels of Puheke were clogged with waste.
Pahala consulted his aumakua, (ancestral deities) who
inspired him to use water to flush away such waste. Pahala went on to develop
the first syringe, made from a bamboo and a gourd, and invented both the enema
and the purgative.
Hawaiian La'au Lapa'au Remedies
To old Hawaiians, mana (spiritual
power) was necessary for any success. Education was one way to gain mana.
Children who might have "healing spirits" could be sent to live and
study with a healing kahuna from as young as five, and they could spend 15 to
20 years in training.
They studied anatomy, diagnosis, medicinal
plants, and sacred chants. They learned how to perform surgical procedures, set
bones and make autopsies. They used steam baths, massage, and laxatives.
Traditional Hawaiian herbal remedies include:
- Aalii (Hopseed bush): Hopseed leaves can be used for rashes, itches and skin diseases.
- Awa (Kava): Awa can be used for headaches, muscle
pain, and to induce sleep. It is also a treatment for general weakness,
chills, colds and other lung problems, such as bronchitis and asthma.
- Awapuhi (Shampoo ginger): Use
ashes of leaves for cuts and sores. Use the root for ringworm and sprains
and bruises, and for headache, toothache and stomach ache.
- Kalo (Taro): Raw taro
rootstock can be applied to wounds to stop bleeding and use cut raw petiole to relieve pain
and prevent swelling of insect bites and stings. Use the corm for
indigestion and as a laxative. The leaves can be used to control asthma.
- Ko (Sugar cane): Sugar cane sap can
sweeten herbal preparations, and the juice from the shoot can be used for lacerations.
- Mamaki: The inner part of
the fruit can treat thrush and general debility. The leaves can be used as
Hawaiian tea and an infusion made from the leaves is used to treat general
weakness.
- Noni (Indian Mulberry): The
leaves and bark can be prepared as a tonic, and for urinary disorders and
muscle and joint pain. The ripe fruit or leaves can be used as a poultice
for boils, wounds and fractures. A tonic from the immature fruit can be used for
diabetes, high blood pressure and loss of appetite. (Papa Henry often
criticized the haphazard use of noni).
- Ohia lehua: These flowers can ease childbirth; leaf bud tea
is a tonic and used to treat colds.
- Olena (Turmeric): Turmeric root can be used for for
earache, and nose and throat discomfort.
- Pia (Arrowroot): Arrowroot starch in water can be
used
for diarrhea, and mixed with red clay for dysentery. The starch can be
applied to wounds to stop bleeding.
There is more ... much more. Although the herbal
remedies were useful and often powerful, I researched the underlying
consciousness required for healers. This opened an enormous box of treasures
that I have been using and developing for many years.
Hawaiian Spirituality .
Ho'oponopono .
Huna,
Healing and Ohana .
Kumulipo .
Soulwork
Why not join us under the trees
by Kealakekua Bay? Can you come with us into the craters in Volcano Park?
Or can you help us come to you? We bring these teachings
to the world under their old name of Huna Kalani, and they are a basis of Soulwork Systemic
Solutions.
Consider joining us in Hawaii. Our classrooms are beaches,
forests and volcanoes. We can help you make Hawaii a journey of a lifetime.
Stay at a budget hotel in South Kona and come with us to the
most beautiful, most sacred (and most haunted) places on Big Island. E komo
mai. Welcome!
|
|
|
Huna Kalani 1 |
Huna Kalani 2 |
Huna Kalani 3 |
Huna Kalani 4 |
Huna Kalani 5 |
| Huna Introduction |
Huna Elements |
Huna Dreamtime |
Return to source |
Huna in Hawaii |
| Ohana, aloha and ho'omana
Ho'oponopono, kala and Hawaiian healing
Hawaiian prosperity chant |
Honua, Ha, Ahi & Wai
Ele'ele eke and Hawaiian healing
Hawaiian chant for controlling water element
|
Moe uhane
Dreams that change reality
Hawaiian Dreamtime chant
Moe heiau |
I'o and Creation Aumakua, akua and
la'au kahea
Advanced Huna of I'o, Kumulipo and
Awaiku
Hawaiian cleansing chant
|
Visit special and sacred places in the
Kona, Kohala and Kau districts of Hawaii.
Ho'omanamana
Kahuna symbols |
|
Aumakua initiation |
Kumulipo initiation |
Hakalau initiation |
Awaiku initiation |
Milu initiation |
Online Huna & Ho'oponopono
Plagiarism is theft � Martyn Carruthers, 2000-2012 All rights reserved. |
