A young man mangled his leg in an accident and the doctor decided to amputate. The man's wife insisted her father, a kahuna, treat him first. The doctor laughed when he saw the old man chew some leaves and rub them down the uninjured side of the body. Five days later, the young man walked out of the hospital completely cured.
Read about this and other miraculous healings by Native Hawaiian kahuna (priests) from 1794 to the 1930s. Though they gave bits of information to foreigners, the old ones divulged their
most precious wisdom in Hawaiian to other Hawaiians, who translated and archived their oral histories for future generations. Our generation has re-discovered these old records. Now for
the first time, a book brings these miracles to light.
Na Mo'olelo Lomilomi: The Traditions of Hawaiian Massage and Healing, begins as does all Hawaiian healing, with pule or prayer. Healing begins with the spiritual, with akua or God. One
kupuna said, "They knew the laws of vibration. They gathered the vibration of the plentiful."
The Hawaiians also believed what science has since proved - anger, guilt and grudges cause illness. They practiced a process of forgiveness and reconciliation called ho'oponopono
(ho-o-po-no-po-no). The book recounts stories of wonderful healings through forgiveness.
Some kahuna healed without touching. When a woman fell on the rocks and broke several ribs, a young woman healer came. She sat at her head, said nothing, did nothing. After a few minutes
the injuries disappeared.
Native healer Dane Kaohelani Silva, founder of the Hawaiian Lomilomi Association, says, "Makana Risser Chai has done a great service for those of us who have dedicated our lives to the
preservation of the Hawaiian people, healing arts and culture. The publication of this book will be one of the landmark events of the modern history of cultural massage therapy. Numerous
haumana (students) and na kumu (teachers) across the country and the globe will have access to hitherto unknown gems of wisdom which sparkle across the history of Hawaiian medicine. This
publication brings forth information which had been previously inaccessible to the general public. In a special way, this book represents the moment when another kapu has been removed."
The book, published by the Bishop Museum, is available at bookstores and at Amazon.com (