The myths that we live by are changing and seem to be disappearing.  I think this affects our common sense, wisdom, courage and compassion.  The loss of our stories can mean living mostly in our heads disconnected from our bodies.  

Haunani Kalama

 

Last month, you met Haunani Kalama in Part One of this two part interview.  Haunani comes from a strong and deep Hawaiian culture where narrative and context are most important to understanding meanings to things like words, the elements, and healing.  She is a Western trained nurse and thus easily bridges from one tradition to the next.   

 

I met Haunani in Papa Henry Auwae's laau lapaau class on the Big Island eighteen years ago.  She eventually became one of his kako'omua (forward helper) and was instructed "to protect the rituals, protocols and integrity of the practice of laau lapaau in the traditions of our ancestors' to provide a place of foundational clarity and surety.

We had a wonderful interview about the spiritual practice of la'au lapa'au (working with herbs, to solve problems with all the body, mind and spirit of human beings).  Here is the concluding part of our time together.  If you are interested in reading Part One click here.

June Tanoue:  What do you do with your knowledge of laau lapaau?
Haunani Kalama:  As a custodian of laau lapaau one becomes an advocate for the land, the waters, the air and the people. How can one not, considering the principles we were taught? We become stewards, conservationist, environmentalist, all modern terms but generally caretakers of life and living things. Of course in the Hawaiian understanding, all things had life.

Environments are ever changing; change is part of the life circle, including death or dying. Reverently understood, to make (viewed as death of the here and now), passing into the spirit world, is also part of life. But make does not always mean death, it also means to let diminish or grow faint, as an effort, or way of life. Essentially I am a proponent of life, ka mea i ke ola!

JT:  There is a great respect for the elders in Hawaiian culture.
HK: Our kupuna (wise elders) could scold with sugar... sometimes you didn't know you were getting scolded until much later. Ha! Of course what can you do but laugh at your ignorance; so skillful these kupuna! 

They also speak with very thoughtful and long reaching responses, though the actual words used might be brief. You hear what you are ready to hear. Often illustrated by the semblance of peeling an onion, each layer revealing a new thought or awareness; something would click, which I refer to as the 'aha moment', ahh...that's what he meant! The person themselves must peel the layers; they see clearer and clearer until truth appears. This kind of skill is needed in a teacher, one that inspires a student to seek truth. Sitting at the kupuna table is a responsibility!

I was fortunate to spend much time with Papa during the later years gathering and preparing laau and traveling.  (I was not the only one who did this). Often times we spent discussing the genealogy of both people and plant families, especially, the correlation between these two individual universes, and how they related to the greater universe. I would like to point out, whether one spent a few days with Papa or many years, the impact of learning could be equally great. One could learn from a single lesson, what others might learn over several.

Many haumana (students) did not get the opportunity to spend the same amount of time with Papa as I did, yet they have developed their level of understanding and skill because they applied the teaching and used the 'learning tools' he taught.

He told us, 'You have everything that you need to know, now go do it!' That is the power of Akua (God) ever present, in Hawaiian cultural context one must be listening and ready to learn, and even more ready to do, because doing was to do it right or not at all!

Papa removed his protective cloak at the ailolo ceremony, a ritual signifying a completion of training, telling us we were 'released'. We were 'consecrated,' 'dedicated,' and 'ordained' (again his words) into this discipline at that time, a hoolaa as he once explained to me, one in which we accepted the cloak of responsibility for everything we said and did.

I took this personally to mean, I dedicate myself to the higher power, was consecrated through ritual into a discipline of teaching, and ordained to help others, as is possible, to gain spiritual understanding while I develop my own. I remember Papa Auwae sending us forth saying, "Do what you were taught, the way I taught you. Perfect your specialty and use it well."

JT: Do you teach what you learned?

HK: Well, I guess you could say I 'share' about laau lapaau, the governing principles, values, ethics in practice, and general use. Pule, (prayer - is a close translation but not an exact one) is always first - to prepare, to help identify what to share and not share. Such as, before I started this conversation with you, I spent a long period in Pule, clearing clutter, and listening to what I'm to share and not. Honoring Akua, and the guidance received. You have to protect the listener too, not everyone is ready to hear what you are sharing, so be thoughtful, always thoughtful!!

Laau lapaau becomes a way of life. It isn't something to put on and taken off as one would a lab coat. One lives it day to day. You become one with the principles, and conduct yourself accordingly. In presentations I'm there to facilitate understanding and usually include samples of plants and minerals to help connect people with their environment as well as myself. Because I'm a Western trained health professional I am often asked to do presentations to similarly trained groups.

I give talks about the school of training that I come from and what that entails in general.  Actually it was Papa Auwae who asked me directly to continue this effort, for he spoke often to western trained medical people, to create a 'bridge of understanding' as he put it with health professionals. Most groups that ask me to share do so with a readiness to learn. Sometimes they are not. Those often prove to be the most interesting presentations!

JT:  What advice do you have for us?
 HK: Take your foundations with you wherever you go, take what you learned and adapt to the situation you are in, within the context of that foundation. Adaptation does not mean substituting another foundation, however. Knowing who you are and developing who you are - takes work - we call that becoming one of the People (a human being).

When strangers meet we ask each other, are we of the same breath or not? If yes, we establish our relation if not, we need to create a relationship. The goal is peace, harmony, and a common unity (community). If both you and they embody aloha then peace and joy is possible. Hoomaikai akahai - told to us as 'respect with ritual', that I understand to mean 'render respectfully with a gracious spirit', a reflection of one's frame of thought.

Perhaps the best way to give advice is to share some of Papa's comments to us:
"We are instruments of Akua."  "Don't do if you don't know!" and "Pule, pule, pule."

Before I take leave I would like to express for your benefit: the Hawaiian language is a complex one, each word having many meanings, thus the use and definitions provided are specific to the conversation and the context of the subject we are discussing. Anyone reading or listening to this should not use these words irreverently. One could err greatly with the kupuna if you use them without forethought.

Mahalo ke Akua (thank you Creator) for our time together, me ke aloha pumehana (with my sincere aloha).