Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 11, Number 1, 1 January 1994 — Hawaiian herbalists gather to share healing mana [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Hawaiian herbalists gather to share healing mana

by Deborah L. Ward In 1918, 500 kāhuna lā'au lapa'au, traditional Hawaiian herbal healers, arrived by eanoe from all the islands at Lapakahi, North Kohala on the island of

Hawai'i. They prayed together and shared their knowledge of t r a d i t i o n a 1 Hawaiian medieine in this timeless setting overlooking the sea. Papa Henry Auwae, today at 84 the aeknowledged po'okela.

or "dean" of Hawaiian herbal medicine, was just a boy when he attended this historic meeting with his 107-year-old great-great-grandmother. Large canoes carrying up to 90 people eaeh, plus animals for food, eame to this ancient gathering plaee for healers. Eaeh island delegation had its own campground where they grew their own food and preferred medicines. Seventy-five years later, mod-ern-day native Hawaiian herbal healers known as kāhuna lā'au lapa'au, and their haumana (apprentices) and kāko'o (assistants), gathered in late November for a three-day conference and graduation examination at Lapakahi State Park, site of a 600-year-old Hawaiian villaee

and heiau. The gathering, "Nā 'ūniki o nā 'ōiwi o nā kūpuna lā'au lapa'au O Hawai'i" (the graduation of the youth and the kūpuna of Lā'au Lapa'au O Hawai'i), was sponsored by the Kupuna Lā'au Lapa'au O Hawai'i, a statewide association of Hawaiian traditional healers, with assistance from E Ola Mau, the Office of Hawaiian Health in the state Department of Heahh, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Papa Ola Lōkahi, the Department of Land and Natural

Resources State Parks Division, and the Luhiau 'ohana. In a ceremony to rededicate Lapakahi as a healing center, four canoes, representing the four ancient kingdoms, arrived one at a time, bringing to shore kai from

the sea and gxfts from I the islands. The kai was I to be mixed with I mountain spring water I gathered by Papa I Auwae. Auwae learned his I Hawaiian medicine from his great-great-grandmother and says he knows more than 2,000 medicines. Yet he will never write

them down, nor charge anyone to give the gift of healing whieh he was taught comes from God. He says his tutu "left me what all the money in the world cannot buy." For the past six years he has been teaching other healers so they may pass this legacy to younger generations. Papa Auwae recognizes that many Hawaiians have criticized him for "giving away Hawaiian secrets" because he shares his knowledge with many people. Unlike many elders of the last century, he says he does not want to take his knowIedge with him when he dies. He believes instead that his healing is for all mankind. Every day, he meditates, keeps himself in good health, and makes sure his day is

right by asking for God's blessing and for forgiveness, even for offenses given unawares. The second day of the 'ūniki (graduation exercises) was closed to the public as eaeh kupuna, under the watchful eye of Papa Auwae, presented his or her herbs and demonstrated their preparation and uses for adults and children. Eaeh kupuna prayed first, then began to prepare their most effective medieine. They pounded, cooked, and mixed ingredients, and explained

(some speaking entirely in Hawaiian) how, where and when they gathered the lā'au, and how they use it. They used olena, 'awa, koli, wapine tea, kukui, ha'uoi, pa'akai, 'alae, uhaloa, maile hohono, pōpolo, even dry coconut husk rendered to ash. Explained Auwae, "In medicine we have rules to follow. You don't do it any old way you feel

it should be done. They have to do it perfect. This is no fly-by-night healing." Eaeh kupuna was evaluated for their qualifications and did a self-evaluation as well. Auwae says his main interest is to teach the "young people" to continue the knowledge and practice of Hawaiian traditional medieine so the tradition never dies. Within his own 'ohana he is teaching his daughter Henrietta Ku'ualoha Miranda and a 10-year-old mo'opuna. Auwae explained that the rea-

son for the 'ūniki is so eaeh kupuna will be prepared to teach other people and their own 'ohana. The kūpuna attending

(with their kāko'o and haumana) were: O'ahu — Kupuna Katherine Maunakea (Ruby Maunakea, kāko'o), Kupuna Mahina Kelly (Pam

Matsuda, kāko'o and Sophie Kelly, haumana); Kupuna Alapa'i Kahuena (Mabel Spencer, kāko'o); Maui — Kupuna Helen

Walrath and Lyons Naone (Keoki Sousa, kāko'o); Moloka'i — Kupuna Joseph Hamakua (kāko'o Luana Hamakua, Audrey Palapala and Mamie Pate, haumana Kamuela Hamakua); Kaua'i — Kupuna Emalia Licayan, Pat Licayan,

kupuna/kāko o, h a u m a n a K a u h i w a i Licayan and kāko'o Joey and Kaeo Licayan; K u p u n a Margaret Aipoalani and E 1 i z a b e t h H o o k a n o , kāko'o Ohu H o o k a n o ;

Ni īhau — Kupuna John Ka'aumoana; Hawai'i — Kupuna Ellen Miles and kāko'o Hana Pau. John Kaaumoana of Ni'ihau brought lā'au from Ni'ihau for his specialty remedies relating to childbirth. He used a mixture of kukae pua, pōpolo and Hawaiian salt applied to the piko to stimulate the afterbirth. He also uses ehu 'awa, whieh looks like miniature papyrus plants, to treat

female urinary tract infections. Alapa'i Kahuena learned her lā'au from her husband Bill Kahuena. She demonstrated the

use of dry coconut husk, burned to an ash, then strained and then mixed with spring water, for use with burns and cuts. Kahuena

is a windward district kupuna with the DOE in Kahalu'u. Lyons Kapiioho Naone III, who was one of the younger

herbal healers present, was born in Hāna, Maui and raised by his grandmother in Kīpahulu. She taught him Hawaiian medicine, the moon calendar and the language, subjects he has been teaching for the past three years at Maui Community College. He

says "Grandma taught us the basics. Papa (Auwae) taught me how to make it right, pure, not kāpulu. Everything had to be done with the moon, it had to be right." Today Naone lives in Wailuku and speaks regularly to homestead groups, senior citizens, and has five kāko'o

(assistants), whom he hopes to advance to mo'olono (apprentice) level and eventually to kupuna (master) level. His specialty is lā'au from Hāna: wāpine for cleansing the digestive system, and noni though he also uses maile hohono for rashes or hemorrhoids, laukahi for asthma, uhaloa, ha'uī for bums and 'alaea kāne. Naone has a lo'i provided to continued on page 22

Papa Henry Auwae

Kupuna gather on the first day to review the weekend's plans.

Coastline at Lapakahi State Park, where kāhuna la'au lapa'au gathered for the first time si nee 1 91 8. Photos by Debbie Ward

Lyons Naone III

Nanette Judd