Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 5, Number 2, 1 February 1988 — He Mau Ninau Ola [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

He Mau Ninau Ola

Some Health Questions by Kekuni Blaisdell, M.D.

Kahuna 'Ana'ana: Mokuna 'Eha

Nlnau: If 'anā'anā is not "praying to death by a witch doctor," what is it? How did it eome to be? And why does it persist? Pane: I nā mokuna ma mua (in previous parts), Te Rangi Hiroa's (Sir Peter Buck's) 1936 comparative analysis of

sorcery throughout Polynesia was cited. Buck perpetuated a misleading view of 'anā'anā as being limited to the Eastern Polynesian practice of "afflicting a victim with malicious spirits from a material object in contact with the proposed victim subjected to a magical process." I also objected to the usual Western definitions of 'anl'anā as "sorcery," "black magic," "witchcraft," and to the kahuna 'anā'anā as a "witch doctor." A plea was made to understand 'anā'anā within the context of traditional pre-Western Native Hawaiian culture of the time, ma ka 'ōlelo Hawai'i (in Hawaiian language) terms, free of the reflex denunciations of foreign observers and the obvious adverse biases of the earliest Native Hawaiian writers (who had been Westernized and Christianized), and without the embarrassment of modern de-Hawaiianized ka po'e Hawai'i. Pēlā (thus), I listed more than 10 examples of hana maika'i (favorable), rather than hana 'ino (harmful), 'anā'anā practices by various classes of kahuna 'anā'anā, found in the 1870 newspaper articles of Samue! Kamakau. Also, contrary to Western anthropological definitions of sorcery, there is ample evidence in Native Hawaiian accounts that ka po'e kahiko did not consider 'anā'anā to be "harming through improbable, illogical, unrealistic means . . . based on supernatural power." Rather, early kānaka māoli (Hawaiians) eonsidered all phenomena to be natural, not either natural or supernatural, as in Western thought. To the kānaka of old, everything had a reason for being, and every event had a reason for occurring.

It was not always obvious to the ordinary maka'āinana (commoner) what these reasons were. That is why their society had kāhuna who, by nature and training, were not only able to perceive these reasons, but because of their knowledge and skills, were also able to influence the course or outcome of events. Pēlā, a more meaningful definition of 'ana'ana was suggested, 'o ia ho'i: distinctly Hawaiian methods of influencing the course of events of man and nature through psycho-spiritual means, sometimes, but not necessarily, with unfavorable outeome. Penei ke 'ano? From He Kumulipo, we learn that kanaka kahiko considered himself to be derived, like all else in his cosmos, from natural (not supernatural) forces, such as the the mating of Papa (Earth Mother) with Wākea (Sky Father). Thus, he was by origin lokahi (united) with all. But he was also aware of ka palua (dualism) of things, such as day and night, male and female, health and illness, life and death, and even good and evil. Maka'āinana had less mana (spiritual energy) by birth than nā kahuna and nā ali'i, who in turn had less mana than the supreme Gods. Nevertheless, it was possible for even the maka'āinana to influence the course of events. Indeed, it was necessary for him to do this by continuous spiritual eommunication with his ever-present 'aumakua and other Gods, in order to maintain proper mana, and thus pono (harmony) and ola (health). Since he was lōkahi with all, by caring for others and nature, he was cared for by others and nature. Conversely, to harm others or anything in nature, was to harm himself. No laila (therefore), pō'ino (misfortune) and ma'i (illness) meant loss of mana and laek of pono, initiated perhaps by his neglect of, or offense to, his 'aumākua, or possibly by an extrinsic noxious factor, such as hana 'ino by another kanaka. On the other hand, kānaka of old also realized that at times, it seemed justifiable to hurt or harm another, such as an opponent in battle. Such an example also illustrated the paradoxical truism that what was harmful to one might be of benefit to another.

No laila, 'anā'anā provided a means by the old Hawaiian society to understand, if not sanction, hana'ino to a fellow kanaka. That there were abuses cannot be denied. Kamakau describes the kahuna 'aihamu (voracious eating) as being "very evil." This type of kahuna 'anā'anā worked secretly to rob others of their possessions, husbands, wives and children. He was also sometimes known as kahuna po'oko'i (adz head), "perhaps because he was frequently beheaded and dragged along the road" by nā'ohana of his victims. The broad range of 'anā'anā activities has now become apparent. Not all unfavorable. And when unfavorable for one, perhaps favorable for another. In any case, they represented the kanaka's ability to influence the natural course of events. I kēia mahina a'e (next month), we will consider the origins of 'anā'anā, why it persists today and some Western explanations of its cultural signifi--eanee. 'Oiai, e ho'omau e ho'ouna mai nei i kou mau nlnau ola, ke 'olu'olu.