Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 12, Number 6, 1 June 1995 — New book a vital link in lā ‘au lapa ‘au [ARTICLE]

New book a vital link in lā ‘au lapa ‘au

Must We Wait in Despair , a book recently published in paperback by First People's Productions, is a never before published account of the response by native Hawaiians to the suffering and death of the Hawaiian population in the 1860s. With little confidence in the ability of the Board of Health to stem the tide of foreign diseases and death, especially in rural areas lacking doctors, they questioned what could be done to save themselves. A group of trained professionals openly met to find a response to this tragic situation. Their decision was to found the 'Ahahui Lā'au Lapa'au of Wailuku, Maui. The 'Ahahui Lā'au Lapa'au interviewed kāhuna (traditional healing practitioners) hving on the island of Maui so they could demonstrate the authenticity, safety and professionalism of traditional medicines as a means of saving their own people. Their work heralded the passage of the first laws to license kāhuna in the Kingdom of Hawai'i. Must We Wait in Despair, translated and edited by Maleolm Nāea Chun, provides a vital link in the study of traditional Hawaiian medicine and healing practices. It is the 1867 report of the 'Ahahui Lā'au Lapa'au on native Hawaiian health, and contains 21 interviews with kāhuna. The first half of the book is the original text in Hawaiian, with the original illustrations. The second half is the English translation. Eaeh kahuna interviewed tells where and when he was born, who his teachers were, and about the methods of diagnosis and treatment he was taught. Descriptions of illnesses by their Hawaiian name, their treatment and chants and prayers used are presented. The author notes that "the work of the 'Ahahui Lā'au Lapa'au brings forth 'new' information, onee thought to have been lost, and with comparisons to other published materials, perhaps a better understanding of the history and the practice of traditional native Hawaiian healing may be obtained." Must We Wait in Despair is available at Borders, Honolulu Book Shops, or via mail order from Native Books (phone 845-8949), or from First People's Productions, 1620 Halekoa Dr., Honolulu, Hawai'i 96821-1 127. Suggested retail pnee is $20, plus $3 for priority postage.