Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 11, Number 1, 1 January 1994 — Ola kino o nā Hawaiʻi [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Ola kino o nā Hawaiʻi

nawanan neaitn norizons

E ho'omau lomilomi

by Keoni Kealoha Agard Special to Ka Wai Ola O OHA Our kūpuna believed a person's physical condition was the outward manifestation of one's emotional, mental and spiritual state of being. How do we as Hawaiians integrate the wisdom of our kūpuna within our modem Westem lifestyles? First, we must take responsibility for our own wellness; this was the practice in our cultural past. It was essential that eaeh member of the 'ohana within the ahupua'a be both strong and healthy. Eaeh person's labor contributed to the strength and prosperity of his community. We need to ask ourselves whether we today ean measure up to the standards of good heahh and strength maintained by our ancestors. It took great strength and stamina to build fishponds, to work the lo'i day in and day out, and to train

for combat as a warrior. By eontrast, how strong and healthy are we today? Second, we must commit to practicing preventive heahh care measures. The sacred healing art of traditional Hawaiian lomilomi (massage) is by far the most pleasurable of all preventive heahh care measures. A one-hour session ean quickly give you an awareness of the stress your body Regular sessions help to reduce the build up of a more severe or chronic condition(s). In the old days, traditional native practitioners could tell before a person entered their presence what the individual was ailing from and what was the cause of the problem. Today our traditional healers and lomi practitioners are able to tell by visual observation where a person is suffering and locate the source of the problem quickly.

The foremost element of lomilomi massage is prayer. The practitioner seeks continual spiritual guidance and must remain ha'aha'a (humble) at all times. It is believed that relief and healing flows through the practitioner to the patient with aloha that originates from the highest source of creation. Lomilomi is Hawai'i's traditional massage that needs to be treasured and returned to the daily lives of the modern Hawaiian, for it is one of the best measures of preventive medicine. This sacred traditional art brings about rapid relief and relaxation to tense, stressed muscles. While there are varied forms of this therapeutic procedure, the most familiar and widely-used employs deep tissue manipulation to activate the circulation of body fluids through the muscle tissue and organs. The degree of pres-

sure applied may vary ... light, medium, heavy or "down to the bones." Lomilomi utilizes the hands, palms, fingers, forearms, elbows, knees and feet in pressing, kneading, squeezing, friction-creating, and hacking movements. Regardless of the movements being employed, aloha is the most important message eommunicated in the work. Eaeh practitioner has their own individual touch, mana and mana'o. You will find it a pleasure exploring the varying personalities, ambienee and rhythm of the different practitioners. They recognize that pain, discomfort and injury, while manifested in the physical body, is the culmination of suffering and imbalance mentally, emotionally or spiritually. Through physical manipulahon, our traditional practitioners soothe the spirit, bringing peaee

and healing in the individual. One such practitioner is Unele Kalua Kaiahua, a master at bodywork, who provides seminar training sessions at various loeations. He serves his clients at his home in Lahaina, Maui at 6696604, and also in 'Aiea, O'ahu at 488-3541. Native Hawaiian traditional lomilomi was practiced in a loving way because the practitioner generally worked on his own 'ohana. Thus the "aloha touch" is an ingredient emphasized by Aunty Margaret Machado, master lomilomi practitioner. She teaches at the Institute of Hawaiian Lomilomi in Captain Cook, Kona, Hawai'i, and is loved and cherished by many. Aunty Margaret's haumana (students) have returned to their communities and established four massage clinics that specialize in continued on page 21

E ho omau lomilomi

from page 20 the perpetuation of this ancient art of lomilomi. These clinics are duly licensed by the State of Hawai'i: Lomilomi Ola, the Institute of Hawaiian Therapy in Kapahulu, O'ahu, with lomi therapist Jimmy Lewis at 7373088; Hauoli Bodyworks in downtown Honolulu, with lomi therapist Karen Lei Arakawa at 536-5254; Leeward Therapeutic Massage in Pearl City, O'ahu, with lomi therapist Ku'ulei Mata at 488-2221; and Ho'ōla O Lomilomi Lapa'au in Hilo, Hawai'i, with lomi therapist Leina'ala Brown-Dombriques at 934-3232. The joint goal of Aunty's haumana is to bring back lomilomi as the massage of

ehoiee for the Hawaiian eommunity as well as the wider eommunity. Kōkua and support for native practitioners will help keep this sacred art for alive. We are the rightful heirs of the most beautiful plaee on earth. With good health practices, we will onee again be the luckiest and happiest people on this 'āina. E ho'omau lomilomi. Editor's note: This is the first in a series of articles on traditional lomilomi. Other lomi therapists wishing to be listed, or to provide additionaI input, may eall Keoni K. Agardat 545-2922.