Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 3, Number 12, 1 December 1986 — Lapaʻau Conference is Result of E Ola Mau Hawaiian Health Study [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Lapaʻau Conference is Result of E Ola Mau Hawaiian Health Study

By Stanley Ki'ope Raymond II Community Resource Specialist, Maui

An 'Aha Kupuna La'au Lapa'au or Hawaiian Native Healers Conference was held Saturday, Oct. 11, in the Art Auditorium at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. The conference was the first step in a multi-phased project to revive the ancient Hawaiian healing art of kahuna la'au lapa'au

and establish a eouneil of kupuna to perpetuate it. lt was proposed by Unele Harry Kunihi Mitchell of Ke'anae in response to the E Ola Mau Hawaiian Health Needs Study Report whieh was recently completed and forwarded to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. One of E Ola Mau's recommendations is that native Hawaiians initiate, plan, implement and participate in culturally appropriate health services. This would include as an alternative or supplement to Western medical care, utilization of traditional Hawaiian medieine and healing. The conference was an outgrowth of this need.

Goals of 'Aha Kupuna La'au Lapa'au are to: • Call together practitioners of the art of kahuna la'au lapa'au to deliberate and share individual and collective knowledge. • Preserve and document for future generations the art of kahuna la'au lapa'au. • Document the history and development of kahuna la'au lapa'au. • Clarify and describe la'au lapa'au terms, including plants. • Recognize the value of kahuna la'au lapa'au as an alternative or supplementary form of care-giving. • Establish a "native Hawaiian Board of Health" eonsisting of kupuna and native Hawaiian doctors to certify and license kupuna to practice traditional medicine and to teach their craft. Haunani Apoliona and Dr. Richard Kekuni Blaisdell, members of the ad hoe committee whieh organizedthe event, explained their rationale and the necessity for such a gathering. Blaisdell also introduced kupuna Katherine Maunakea, Mahoe Benanu'a, Margaret Machado, David Ka'alakea, Gabriel Kalaluhi and Unele

Harry. Eaeh kupuna presented his or her mana'o on the various kinds of la'au, treatments, ailments, symptoms and cures. Kupuna Machado, a kahuna Haha skilled in lomi-lomi, demonstrated her craft on volunteers. She explained that ho'oponopono must be done first, followed by the lapa'au. Very important, too, she pointed out, is the harmony of head, hands, heart, na'au and feet. Also available for everyone to see were the different kinds of herbs used by these kupuna. Following luneh, Dr. Blaisdell moderated a panel discussion during whieh time all kupuna fielded questions from the audience.

Office of Hawaiian Affairs Administrator Kamaki A. Kanahele III was among those in attendance and he shared his mana'o on what he had been taught during his la'au lapa'au training, including one's spiritual preparation and the relationship of the oli as prayer and its use during treatment; demonstrating, following a query from Dr. Blaisdell, an example of a brief oli. Neighbor island mini conferences are next on the agenda. Maui already has formed a committee. It is the wish of the kupuna participants and the ad hoe planning committee to increase the pool of kupuna. Readers are encouraged to submit names of kupuna versed in la'au lapa'au to the planning committee, so they may be included in future meetings. Contact Rona Rodenhurst at 948-6825, UH Hawaiian Studies office, for more particulars. Greetings were extended by Abraham Pi'ianai'a, director of the Hawaiian Studies Program and sponsor of the symposium. Kahu Ka'alakea, who was one of the presenters, gave the invocation.

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Kupuna Margaret Machado, center, applies lomilomi to face of a volunteer from the audience with Unele Harry Mitchell holding microphone.

Inamona, kaliko and uhaloa were just three of the many types of la'au displayed at the symposium whieh also had some of the implements for viewing.