Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 38, Number 10, 1 October 2021 — A Healer in Every 'Ohana [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

A Healer in Every 'Ohana

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By Malina Kaulukukui and Ke'ala Kwan Traditional ho'oponopono ofFers a Hawaiian perspective and approach to mental, spiritual and emotional heahh. Ho'oponopono literally means to make right. It is a powerful traditional and spiritual structured practice of restoring 'ohana harmony and maintaining healthy family relationships through family conferences. Led by a trained haku (master), ho'oponopono ean help families uncover and deal with the 'eha, the pain, that often divides families, and it encourages family members to practice truthful and healthy eommunication skills, including forgiveness. In December 2018, a group of practicing haku ho'oponopono established the Aha Kūkā Ho'oponopono, a statewide ho'oponopono kūpuna eouneil committed to the perpetuation, preservation and protection of this traditional, family-based healing practice. The intention of the nine-member Aha is to ensure that our mo'opuna and future generations will have the 'ike to practice an authentic form of Hawaiian ho'oponopono with relevancy for today as a means of helping 'ohana thrive. Early funding for the formal development of the 'Aha eame from Aha Kāne, with in-kind support provided by Papa Ola Lōkahi. Prior to the establishment of the 'Aha, several of the 'Aha Kūkā Ho'oponopono haku began teaching ho'oponopono to interested adult haumāna statewide in 2017, under a three-year federal grant secured by 'Aha Kāne.

shouldn't have done that. I was upset at something else and I took it out on you." 2) Practice walking in your children's shoes, e.g., "You must he sad about losing your favorite lunchbox" as opposed to, "Kinda stupid ofyoufor losing that lunchbox, yeah ?" 3) Build healthy family mo'olelo. Plan regular family activities that the children will look back and fondly recall, "Remember when we used to...?" Addressing COVID-19 A shared eoneem is the low vaccination rate of Native Hawaiians. In addressing this eoneem, the Aha recently participated in a Puhlie Service Announeement that encourages residents to get vaccinated. It's a pono decision. Ae, it's been such a difficult time for so many of our 'ohana. Ho'oponopono has been helpful to many families who often feel isolated, and who feel that their families are unraveling under so many external and internal stressors. Many haku ho'oponopono have embraced the necessity of utlizing virtual opportunities to conduct ho'oponopono online, thereby expanding kōkua through ho'oponopono for families with members on other islands or on the continent. The COVIDT9 pandemic, as with most community crises, has brought out the best in us. Unfortunately, it has also divided families around the issues of vaccinations, vaccine hesitancy, and anti-vaccinations, with families describing shouting matches between vaccinated and unvaccinated members. When the risk includes life-threatening conditions and potential death, the ensuing fear, dread and distressing uncertainty often permeate family interactions.

There are now more than 100 haumāna who have been training for over four years, some of whom are also conducting ho'oponopono for 'ohana in need. Aha members continue to conduct educational ho'oponopono and health-related workshops and classes for communities and Hawai-ian-serving organizations, often in eollaboration with practitioners of other traditional healing practices. An aspirational vision and rallying cry of the 'Aha is 'A healer in every 'ohana!" This means that parents have the kuleana of modeling healthy behaviors for their keiki. How might they accomplish that? Here are a few tips: 1) Practice apologizing for everyday mistakes, e.g., "ī'm sorry for yelling at you this morning. I

The reasons for why people are ambivalent or outright opposed to vaccinations are complex. What we know is that trying to persuade unvaccinated loved ones to get vaccinated before they are ready doesn't work, despite our best intentions. In ho'oponopono, aloha and spirituality are always at the core. We teach family members to listen with an open na'au, to respect differing positions, to learn to stand in another's shoes and develop empathy for those whose perspectives differ from ours. It's hard to do when we're scared. But we must do the hard work, reach across that divide and genuinely acknowledge the decisions of our loved ones. By doing so, we ean be pono as a family, and be supportive in the event that our loved ones move from hesitancy to actively considering getting vaccinated. We all need eaeh other right now. ■ For more information on the 'Aha Kūkā Hooponopono, please contact Malina Kaulukukui at (808) 387-3768 or mkauluku@gmail.com

'Aha Kūkā Ho'oponopono Allysyn Aloha Bezilla Sean Chun Dennis Kauahi Malina Kaulukukui, Chair Earl Kawa'a, Vice-Chair Ke'ala Kwan, Secretary/Treasurer Wayne Lee Ka'ai'ai Paglinawan Lynette Paglinawan

Clockwise from left: Ku'ulei Birnie, Maka Casson-Fisher, Sasha Fernandes, Hi'ilani Titcomb (in the role of "hoku") ond Nopuo Casson-Fisher porticipote in o ho'oponopono proctice session.

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