Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 2, Number 8, 1 August 1985 — He Mau Ninau Ola [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

He Mau Ninau Ola

''-S" > = ■>," "4= - s ~ ~ ' Some Health Questions by Kekuni Blaisdell, M.D.

Q. E kauka, you confuse me. If the sickness of our people is mainly due to our own unhealthy individual lifestyles, why should we go back to outmoded Hawaiian beliefs, and why should we get the government involved? A. E kala mai ia'u no ka ho'ohuikau ana ia 'oe (I apologize for confusing you). As

previousiy siaiea, ine major ma ī tanmenisj anecnng us po e Hawai'i appear to be due mainly, but not exclusively, to our overeating of kelekele (fat), kopa'a (sugar) and pa'akai (sodium), and undereating of fibre; self-abuse with paka (tobacco), inu 'ona (aleohol) and other poisons; laek of physieal fitness; stress; and careless accidents. While it is convenient to eall these "lifestyle" factors due to personal ehoiee, and therefore, perhaps correctible by selfdiscipline, our Maori hoahanau (cousins) in Aotearoa (New Zealand) have iooked somewhat differently at the causes of their similar malhealth profile. Their mana'o (opinions) and actions provide some pane (answers) to your two ninau that may be applicable to our situation in Hawai'i nei. In last month's eolumn, we learned that at hui (gatherings), nga tangata (na po'e) Maori embraced even more firmly their traditional belief that ora (health) involves all aspects of their being — spiritual first, interacting with the mental, body (physical), extended family, including tipuna (ancestors), in maintaining harmony with nature and the gods. Thus, injury to any one or more of these dimensions affects the others with disharmony, loss of mana and illhealth. With this holistic view, they perceived the decline of Maori cultural identity and self-esteem by dominant Pakeha (haole) exploitation to be chiefly responsible for Maori malhealth, including school failure, unemployment, crime, homelessness and poverty. To prevent extinction of Maori as a p»'e and culture, and to regain ora in Maori terms, nga tangata Maoii, who eomprise only 10 percent (c300,000) of the 3 million po'e of Aotearoa, are reasserting themselves as a bicultural po'eon a broad front in several ways:

1. As an official policy of the government at all levels, nga tangata Maori initiate planning and implementing of Maon health programs integrated with all aspects of Maori life. Maori health has been officially designated as a top priority by the Department of Health with appointment of a Maori administrator for Maori hea!th, creation of a Maon Advisory Health Council, Maori liaison medical officers and nurses with loeal Maori communities, Maori health educators and Maori cultural awareness training for non-Maori government workers. 2. Te Wai Ora, an interdisciplinary network of Maori health programs involving six government departments and loeal Maori communities with kaumatua (Maori elder) and taitamariki (Maori youth) councils, promotes Maori cultural identity and self-respect through a variety of wellness and preventive health activities centered at marae (Maori meeting places). These include whakapapa (genealogy) workshops, Maon arts, crafts, drama, music, lore training and performances, environmental protection, Maon sports and games, nutrition education for families and marae food-caterers, jobtraining for taitamariki, stress-coping, child-rearing and nationwide TV programs in Maori, by Maori and for Maon, and support groups for family-less Maori. 3. Maori family health clinics, designed and staffed by loeal Maori health personnel; and Maori mobile clinics in rural areas.

4. Preferential education of Maon in health professions at all levels with inclusion of Maon culture in training curricula. 5. Fostering of tohunga (native healers) and alternative methods for Maori illnesses not amenable to western medicine. 6. Te Kohanga Reo (language nest), preschool child-care centers, now numbering greater than 300, managed by kaumatua (Maori elders), where only Maori is spoken, featuring Maori cultural concepts and practices, and creating a new generation of native-speaking, culturally-secure Maori. 7. A Maori Research Council has been proposed, planned and directed by Maori, with priority given to projects with greatest benefit to Maori, incorporation of Maori kawa (protocol) in research design, use of culturally-sensitive investigators, and coordination with other concerned Maori organizations.