Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 15, Number 5, 1 May 1998 — I PAʻA KE KINO O KE KEIKI I KA LĀʻAU [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

I PAʻA KE KINO O KE KEIKI I KA LĀʻAU

That the body of the child be solidly built by the medicines

By Claire Hughes. Nutritlonist Hawai'i Department Of Health ĪHIS HAWAIIAN proverb ffom " 'Olelo No'eau" speaks of the critieal need to eat the Hawaiian greens and other vegetables in order to produce a sound and healthy baby, to help the child develop and to keep the mother fit and healthy. The lā'au referred to here include leafy greens, limu, poi and sweet potatoes. They were used as preventive medicine, since traditional healing has no pills. The diet of wahine hāpai was carefully regulated and supervised to provide important nutrients for her baby's development. In the practice of the ancient culture, expectant mothers ate preens and nni esnecia11v Hnr-

ing the last trimester of pregnancy, so that the bone stmcture and body of the child would be solidly built. Mary Kawena Pūku'i interprets the proverb as meaning "the herbs were given to the child up to the age of 20 so that he would be healthy and strong through maturity and old age." Westem scienee verifies that these herbs are rich in nutrienLs and necessary for good development. The wisdom of our ancestors is still valid. By heeding their advice, we give our children the gift of good health that will last them a lifetime. In last month's eolumn, we leamed that the lā'au were kinolau of the gods who protected both family and child. Our ancestors placed great importance on assuring appropriate physical development of infants. Kahuna would work with parents to correct any defect that could be corrected in infancy and childhood. The kāhuna were very knowledgeable about requirements for growth and development and many were skilled in body molding and shaping. Pūku'i shares that the culture's strict and exacting eoneem for soundness of the physical body was a special consideration for both mother and infant. Honolulu physician and historian of Hawaiian medicine, Dr. Nils P. Larsen, recognized the Hawaiian kahuna practice of "systematic natural therapy was more scientific, in many ways, at the time of discovery than that of the European discoverers." Early visitors envied the Hawaiian physique. It was beautifully balanced, with straight backs and muscular stomachs, strong arms and legs, all a result of good early nutrition and care. The Hawaiian mother nursed her newbom infant and, though nothing is recorded about the nursing period, we ean reasonably assume that infants were nursed at least as long as current recommendations suggest: 12 months. Western science verifies that breast feeding is best for the baby and very beneficial to the new mother. The benefits for the infant are that breast milk is exclusively designed for human infants. It is nutritionally superior to altematives, bacteriologically safe and always fresh. It also provides immunity to viral and bacterial diseases, stimulates the infant's immune defenses, decreases the risk of respiratory disease and diarrhea, prevents or reduces the risk of allergy, promotes correct development of jaws, teeth and speech, decreases a tendency toward childhood obesity, promotes frequent tender physical eontact with the mother and helps to establish a close bond between mother and child. The benefxts to the mother are that breast feeding promotes quick recovery from pregnancy, decreases the risk of breast and ovarian cancer, helps to shrink the uteras, decreases the risk of post partum hemorrhage, prolongs not having periods, promotes closeness between mother and child, gives mothers a sense of their importance, provides relaxing breaks, eliminates formula preparation and bottle washing, and saves money. Food as medicine as practiced by our ancestors is just as valid today. ■

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