Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 15, Number 10, 1 October 1998 — BLESSINGS FROM THE GODS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

BLESSINGS FROM THE GODS

By C I a i r e Hughes, Department of Health

AFEW YEARS ago, Kekuni Blaisdel1 and I participated in an in-service training for health professionals on Hawaiian health. Kekuni started out talking about the Hawaiian belief system regarding food. As he explained that Hawaiians ate their Gods, the faces in the audience openly reflected emotions from wonderment and disbelief to shock and revulsion. My presentation followed Kekuni's and echoed his explanation that the traditional Hawaiian foods are filled with the mana of the gods, whieh enters our body and strengthens us as we eat the foods. While the Western system calculates vitamin, mineral, protein, carbohydrate and fat content in food, the Hawaiian system seeks a balance of mana. This belief svstem

is actually not far removed from the Christian faith. During eommunion, one eats the body of Christ and drinks the blood of Christ as a means of spiritual strengthening. The mana of the gods is demonstrated time and time again in the traditional diet programs held in communities throughout the state, where our traditional knowledge is reaffirmed for many who have forpr>tten it c>r r>nt the

information aside. This mana of the traditional foods becomes tangible as program participants begin to feel and enjoy improvements to their health. Many who are taking medications for chronic health conditions are able to reduce their dosage. Some are even able to control their health conditions with diet and exercise alone. Kāne is the giver of life. He provided Hawaiians with fresh water for drinking, crop irrigation and kapa making, to name a few cultural activities dependent on fresh water. Our most important staple food, kalo, is a kinolau of the god Kāne. Only men were allowed to touch the kalo plant. Only men could plant, tend, harvest and eook kalo, whieh was cooked in an imu separate from other family foods. Other kinolau of Kāne included pōpolo and sugar eane. The poi from the kalo represents Hāloa, the first child born to Wākea and Ho'ohōkūkalani, and he is considered the older sibling to all Hawaiians. Great reverence and honor was shown during meals in the presence of Hāloa. Angry words or unpleasant behavior were never tolerated when gathered around the open poi bowl.

Extensive land areas were devoted to the cultivation of numerous kalo varieties. Historians tell us that fewer than two dozen varieties were brought to Hawai'i by our ancestors, but scores of new varieties were developed and cultivated Over the hundreds of years prior to Captain Cook's arrival. Many different colors, textures, shapes and tastes of kalo were developed. The first Westerners to see Hawai'i kalo cultivation, were greatly impressed by the variety, the

complex watering systems and the diligence of the natives in growing such a labor-inten-sive crop. This really underscores the great love and respect Hawaiians held for the gift of Kāne. While the area devoted to kalo cultivation is significantly less today than it was historically, the good news is that taro acreage is on the increase. The state Department

of Agriculture reports a statewide increase of 50 acres devoted to cultivation of commercially marketed kalo in the last four years. This is despite the great odds encountered by kalo farmers today, with high cost of land, fresh water and a number of new blights, like fungus and side-pocket rot. Fresh water is one the greatest gifts of good health from Kāne. Unfortunately, many of us choose not to include it in our daily diets. Health professionals tell us to drink eight cups of water daily, but many turn to alternative fluids with added sugar, artificial flavor, artificial color and carbonation. Hawai'i has been blessed with the best tasting water in the nation, perhaps the world. Kāne was very kind to give us such abundant sources of sweet, fresh water. We ean really appreciate it when we go to mainland cities and taste some of the worst excuses for fresh water imaginable. In many parts of the world, water is not even drinkable. We have been truly blessed by the gods Kāne for the sources of water from the earth and by Lono for the water from the sky. ■

"As he explained that Hawaiians ate their Gods, the faces in the audience openly reflected emotions from wonderment and disbelief to shock and revulsion...During eommunion, one eats the body of Christ and drinks the blood of Christ as a means of spiritual strengthening." Claire Hughes

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