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Native Hawaiian Healing By:
Greig Gaspar The
Waimanalo Health Center’s ‘Ai Kupele Program is under the direction of
Cultural Health & Education Director and Kahuna Ho‘ola Kawaikapuokalani
Hewett. Among the cultural healing services that are being offered are counseling (Ho‘oponopono),
prayers and chants (La‘au
Kahea), herbal therapy (La‘au
Lapa‘au), and massage (lomi-lomi).
The overall goal of our healing center is to restore the balance or
harmony (pono) between all these
interrelated facets of human existence in the spirit of compassion (lokomaika‘i) and to
realign the body, mind and spirit to become one. Although
‘Ai Kupele or cultural healing program targets Native Hawaiians, it is
the Waimanalo Health Center’s long-standing policy that all services be
available to all patients regardless of ethnic or national origin. As
a Kahuna Ho‘ola, Kawaikapuokalani is a specialist in Hawaiian healing
that incorporates several diagnostic skills including assessment of the
presence of spirit-related illnesses, direct observation, dream
interpretation, and physical palpation to identify possible contributing
causes of underlying imbalances. His therapeutic skills training include
herbal (la‘au lapa‘au)
and touch (lomilomi) therapies, spiritual mediation through prayers and
chants, and cultural counseling and conflict resolution through ho‘oponopono. Kawaikapuokalani
was trained as the primary apprentice of Kahuna Emma Defries, one of the
few surviving kahuna in the 1900s who was recognized by both legislative
bodies of the State of Hawaii for her healing work as a kahuna la‘au
lapa‘au. Kawaikapuokalani’s genealogy also supports strong familial
ties to well-known kahuna of modern and historical times. This
genealogical relationship is a necessity in Hawaiian lore, as the ike
(spiritual authority and insight) is believed to pass only through blood
relations for many of the psychic powers used in assessment and healing.
Kawaikapuokalani received intensive, detailed training and close
supervision as a kako‘o
(student) for 12 years and has practiced as a kahuna ho‘ola for over 20
years. In addition Kawaikapuokalani has gained recognition locally,
nationally and internationally as a kumu hula, composer, and teacher of
Hawaiian culture. What
are the benefits related to lomilomi services? The stress and tension that
we receive on a daily basis can be melted away through the art of lomilomi
and the manipulation of nerves and muscles. What
are the benefits and why it is important for women to have their body,
mind and spirit in balance and do more women seek out alternative medicine
than men? Come and meet with Kawaikapuokalani and find out about the other
services that are available at the Waimanalo Health Center’s ‘Ai
Kupele program. For more information or an appointment
with Kawaikapuokalani Hewett, please call 382-6049. For general healthcare
information, call Greig E. Gaspar at 259-7948 ext. 136. |
