Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 23, Number 6, 1 June 2006 — Nā Moʻolelo Lomilomi: The Traditions of Hawaiian Massage and Healing [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Nā Moʻolelo Lomilomi: The Traditions of Hawaiian Massage and Healing

Edited by R. Makana Risser Chai Bishop Museum Press; $16.95 R. Makana Risser Chai, a Hawai'i licensed massage therapist, collected hundreds of oral

histories and articles on lomilomi, some dating as far back as 1779, and strung them together into one comprehensive text. Through this exhaustive record, Chai explains lomilomi's various styles, uses and protocols, and points out the art form's connections to lua (Hawaiian martial arts) and lā'au lapa'au (herbal healing). The book isn't intended to be a teaching manual, but rather a tool to increase the understanding of Hawaiian massage and healing.