Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 3, Number 1, 1 January 1986 — He Mau Ninau Ola [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

He Mau Ninau Ola

Some Health Questions by Kekuni Blaisdell, M.D.

Ninau: E kauka, how eome the old Hawaiians drank 'awa when it- causes addiction and poisoning? Pane: Let me pane (answer) your ninau in two parts: First, what we know about why and under what circumstances ka po'e kahiko (the old Hawaiians) drank 'awa; and secondly, current assessment of 'awa "addiction and poisoning."

'Awa was a sacred drink in ancient Polynesia. So ka la'au 'awa (the 'awa plant, Piper Methysticum) was purposefully brought to Hawai'i by early, seafaring settlers. In Hawai'i nei, the plant became a kinolau (many body form) of two major akua (gods), Kane and Kanaloa, and the favorite food of all na akua. The 'awa drink had four main uses: 1. By maka'ainana (commoners; for ho'onanea (relaxation) and pule (prayer) after vigorous work, and by na kanaka (men) in their hale mua (eating house) at meals with pule at the kuahu (a!tar) to na 'aumakua (family deities). 2. By kahuna in special hana hanohano 'awa (ceremonies), such as ho'ola'a 'ana (consecrating) a male child, initiating haumana (students) in hula and chanting, in seance with a haka (medium), and for atonement supplication. 3. For la'au lapa'au (medicinal) purposes, with appropriate pule to na akua. 4. By ali'i (chiefs), with pule at all meals. By the highestranking ali'i ar\d kahuna in special hana hanohano 'awa honoring na akua or a chief, displaying and recognizing the relative rank of na ali'i present, and expressing aliegiance to the ruling chief. Such rituals were detailed in the Journals of Captain James Cook for 1778. Later, Samuel Kamakau wrote the famous incident in whieh Kamehameha, in the presence of his mentor Kekuhaupi'o, served 'awa to his cousin, the ruling chief Kiwala'o, on the eve of the Battle of Moku'ohai in 1782. To the kanaka of old, the drinkingof 'awa was the incorpo ration of the gods into the recipient, as well as the sharing of the drink with na akua. The mana of the ingested akua was

directly experienced by the numbness of the mouth, relief of body soreness, relaxation of the muscle, mild sleepiness, and euphoria, so that the drinker himself became a god. The foregoing desirable effects of 'awa ingestion, but without the ancient Hawaiian interpretation as to mechanisms, have been confirmed in modern, controlled scientific experiments on human subjects in Kelemania and Amelika. These tests utilized the crude 'awa extract, some of the 10 isolated ehemieal principles, and four synthesized 'awa derivatives. Thus, the use of 'awa in times of old for acute, transient discomforts has been demonstrated to have a direct, regularly-reproducible pharmacologic basis. As for the adverse effects of 'awa in Hawai'i, these were first recorded in Cook's Journals as "kava debauchery ," with red eyes, scaling skin, shaking and weakness. Later, the missionaries used the terms "addicting" and "intoxicating" (poisoning) when they condemned 'awa drinking as "evil, idolatrous and shameless." Controlled elinieal trials, first reported in 1967, have dispelled some previous erroneous notions concerning these undesirable manifestations. Redness of the eyes and skin rash occurred in only a small minority of subjects after at least one month of daily 'awa was discontinued but recurred promptly when 'awa was resumed. Thus, these adverse effects are now considered to be allergic and not regularly toxic. Shaking and weakness were not constant features as long as adequate nutrition was maintained. Although some instances of habituation were observed, true addiction with ehemieal dependenee, such as with aleohol, tobacco or eoeaine, was not encountered These modern laboratory findings are supported by recent field ethnographic reports from Samoa, Tonga and Fiji where kava (their name for 'awa) drinking persists as part of the indigenous cultures of these islands. In Hawai'i nei, with the accelerated depopulation of ka po'e Hawai'i piha (pure Hawaiians) and decline of mea pono Hawai'i (Hawaiian culture) after U.S. annexation, a nonHawaiian predicted in 1948, "probably all use of 'awa in Hawai'i will end." However, the recent revival of ka hana hanohano 'awa by the Hokule'a crew and by Na 'Oiwi O Hawai'i at their November Ho'oku'oko'a 1985 Conference may mark a significant turning point in the revitalization of our hentage.