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About hawaiian bodywork
Kahuna - The "Shamans" of Hawai'i
Unabridged edition of the article in Connection Spezial III / 2000,
Schamanismus by Elisabeth Müller-Schwefe
"
"Kahuna - hawaiian priest-sorcerers, who are said to be exceptionally
uaffected by fire", - the word Kahuna describes a service,"-
I was told by the German office for registration of patents und trademarks
when I applied for registering a word. And they were not so far from
the mark. For Kahuna are part of the Hawai'ian culture and bear the
ancient wisdom in Hawai'i. They fulfilled and still fulfill with
their expert skills the everyday needs of their people in a specific
Hawai'ian way : A Kahuna could for example tell the exact position
and exact size of a shoal of fish and the kind of net needed for
it, so that the fishermen only had to go out and collect it. Normally
Kahuna are said to be the shamans of Hawai'i. Until only a few decades
ago they were talked about as great powerfull magicians who could
pereform inexplicable deeds and are in communication with all good
and also evil powers. And indeed Kahuna are beings with exceptional
skills, women and men, masters of their field „beyond the normal
skill of humans."*
They are the highest living experts in their field
for their country tecnically and spiritually. Until a hundred years
ago there were far more than a dozend different Kahuna in the healing
arts alone. There was for example the bone-setter, massage expert,
dentist, one who heals with herbs, obstetrician, one who diagnoses
illness by feeling the body, and so on. And then the experts of
the different crafts like canoe maker, expert house builder, expert
fishnet maker, navigator, war strategist, High Priest, political
counceller, prophet, dream interpreter, and so on. Kali'ohe Kame'ekua
(1816 - 1931) of the island of Moloka'i recalls: "The student who
studied under such a one was not given this title even if he had
studied for many years. It was not until an elderly Kahuna was about
to pass from life that he would designate who was to follow him.
If a pupil was highly favored with wisdom and quickness of mind the
kahuna would call him to his side, breathe into his mouth and pass
on some bit of knowledge that had not been taught in the school.
When the elder breathed his last, the new appointed one would pick
up hid duties. He who excelled all others became the keeper of the
secret."*
Kahuna Abraham Kawai'i, Aua'ia Maka'io´le, Uliama, is one of the very few
who have been trained in the old way. It is this Kahuna I speak about when
I use the term "Kahu".
("Kahu" is used to adress a Kahuna or speak about him; it means guardien,
mentor, honored attendant). He told us about his own training that whenever
the students had accomplished a certain level of understanding this level
was completed with a graduation, an initiation. These initiations were
usually a matter of life and death. If the student was not completely eaqual
to the situation, for example to drink a poisoness substance, then this
was the natural end of his kahuna-carrier. Bacause if someone has come
this far in his/her skills - and these skills contain an immense power
- and this being is not able to control himself and this power and skill
perfectly, he/she would be too great a danger for other beings.
A basis which the Hawaiian Kahuna share with all the shamans in
the world is the understanding and using of the principles of nature.
A Kahuna is not only an expert in his own field who has learned everything
there is to know, what his tradition teaches, and the understanding
he himself has developed; that too; but he also has all physically
sensual and metaphysical sources availlable that are in any way connected
to his field of expertise. At the same time he is his profession,
he embodies his skill completely by his life, he is the archetype.
(which does not mean that he can only be one archetype). A traditionally
trained navigator-Kahuna for example does not only know the names
of all the stars in the sky - he has the stars "inside
himself" so that he can sail after the stars even when the sky is veiled
with clouds.
With some luck you can meet a Kahuna even today. Until
a few years ago the US-American government had officially prohibited
for many decades much of what was genuinly Hawaiian.(For example
the use of the Hawaiian language in schools and at public affairs).
This is particularly destructive for a culture that did not have
a written tradition, but instead the most elaborate subtle and manylevel
way of passing on their history and tradition in other ways which
are specific to this culture. Hula, for example, was forbidden in
the early 19 thn century already because christian missionaries found
it too sexy and therefore sinfull. In fact, Hula, the being the sacred
Hawaiian dance is at the same time something like a historical archive
of the Hawaiians in which their history is represented into the finest
detail expressed thruogh the signe language of dance. A state law
also had prohibited Kahuna to practice ther profession. This and
also the Hawaiian's "modern way of thinking" is according to Kahu
the reason why there is today only a handfull of Kahuna left on the
Hawaiian islands who practice their professsion. You can not find
them in the telephonebook, but they are there as practitioners who
make their wisdom and skills availlable to others.
Max Freedom Long, who made "Huna" popular in the west through his
Book "The Secret Wisdom BehindMiracles" has himself never met
a Kahuna.He collected information second hand, third and fourth
hand and built his own system from this which is admirably coherent
and functions. He called it "Huna" (the use of the word in this
way being his own creation too). The Huna-enthusiasts in the
west usually don't know that this has not much to do with the
philosophy of the real Kahuna and theit practice.
In a Kahuna's House
The long table is so covered with various dishes that the waterjugs
can hardly be sqeezed in. Variuos meet dishes, fish, potatoes
and rice,vegetables and salad - familiar food and to me
kompletely unknown dishes. And around the table, too, we are sitting
so close to each other that hardly any othe person coulkd be sqeezed
in. Everybody is dedicated to enjoy their food silently.
every now and then someone looks up to the lights. The swarm of
insects circling around the light is becoming denser and sooner
or later some of the insects will fall into the dishes on the table.
Kahu looks up and says: "We shall remove the
insects with the help of an illusion." He sends someone into
the kitchen to fetch a big bowl with water in it. Ho climbs
on to his chir and holds the bowl under the light right beneath
the swarming termites, and a few seconds later all the termites
are swimming on the water. Tey could not resist the glittering
reflection of light in the water.
Instruction - Being Present 100 percent
During the training in Hawaiian Bodywork.
At the beginning of the instructions in the morning.
All students are standing at their marks in the classroom
waiting for the "Flying" to
begin. A chant cuts thruogh the silence. Words in Hawaiian
which we don't understand, but which are charged with an intensity
which makes me sweat and shiver at the same time.
And then Ho'okahi, Kahu's wife, who instructs us, reminds us in
English:" You
are in the house of a Kahuna! Everything a Kahuna begins - he does
kompletely. There is no trying, no maybe. A Kahuna
gives a hundred pecent. When he accepts a job, it will be done
cmpletely with perfection. This is a frame of reference within
which you can go infinitely far. In the old days, if you had not
made good progress, this meant so much of your harvest and one
or two of your children for the Kahuna's house as payment for
the second year of instruction in his house. And the family concerned
considered themselves lucky to give their children
into the house of the Kahuna where they could learn and profit
infinitely and raise the status of their family. If the Kahuna
saved your life, your life thereafter belonged to him. If you are
not ready to give yourself a hundred percent - what do you expect
to receive? You must know who you are! With each word you utter,
with each movement of your body, each action you tell yourself
who you are. Be aware! In the house of a Kahuna everything is multiplied
through his energy. Each strength, each talent, each joy,
but also each weekness, each contributing, but also each restricting
thought. You must know, who you are! In Kahus Training
there was none who padded him on the schoulder and said: you did
very well. The greatest part of the training was nonverbal - we
use a few more words today. But still you must know who you
are! Nobody else can tell you.
In Kahu's training the only way
to know you did well was that you got something new to do.
Navigators Ancient and Today
„Star come, star go, island come,
island go. I am the center of the universe" is
the understanding of himself for a navigator Kahuna every moment
of his life.
At times a whole clan was on migrating boats with utterly unpredictable
and erratic chiefs - on the ocean somewhere between the Hawaiian
and the Tahitian Islands. If the navigators had not had completely their
act together out there on the high ocean, if they had allowed
themselves the smallest mistakes, the slightest irritatin instead
of being the center of the universe, this could have meant
the undoing of the whole clan. Kahu is besides everything else
also a Navigator Kahuna. And this training, too is about navigation,
about the body, your vessel, with which you navigate through
life. Without it you would not be here.
If you are unaware
for a moment and run a child over with your car, do you
want to say: .oh,i apologize, i was jus not aware for a moment?
This is about being completely present here and now with
your body. When you expand the awareness of your physical flexibility
you also become aware of the full range of your possibilities
and capabilities in your life so that eventually you can
navigate your vessel flowing and harmoniously through all the areas
of your life.
Through this training the navigators reached
such an expansion of their awareness that by tasting the
sea water they knew in which part of the vast ocean they were sailing.
Kahu says, that some of the most famous navigators - of
which the stories were told by the fireside - some of the most famous
navigatots were blind."
Food - Everyday Surprises
Food is part of the training, too. And a multilevel
experience. Here too the principle is to learn throuhg experience.
To preach the words that the universe has enough and abundance
for everybody is nothing compared to the experience that every day
there is a choice and abundance of expertly and deliciously prepared
food in which everybody can find something tasty and siutable for
their boda and taste. And to be able to revel in this abundance sensually
every day triggers expansion on many levels. In addition our progress
in the training is supported through certain foods and the way tey are
prpared. Also individual health problems are improved with certain
foods.
Again the group is sitting at dinner table. Along with tunasteaks
and poke, raw fish with seaweed, there are Königsberger Klopse, Schupfnudeln,
barbequed lamb chops, rice, poi, noodle salsd, fresh vegetables, various
slads, tropic fruit, polenta.... A farewell dinner for part of the group
who are going back home to Germany. I had already begun to love Poke and
especially poi, made from the taro corm since my second stay in Hawai'i.
But how did they know that Schupfnudeln was one of my favourites? This dish
is actually only known in Swabia, south Germany. I had mentioned nothing
of that sort to anybody. There seems to be nothing this kitchen can not bring
forth.
One day, I thought by myself, how wonderful some real home meade
cooked chokolate pudding with whipped cream would be , and the same
evening the desert was chocolate puddingh with whipped cream. And
things like this not only happened once. The dinner already guides
me on my way home to Germany. An this is of course intended.
Kahuna-Philosophy
- everything is part of your family
In the Hawaiian society and spiritual life "family" played and plays
a very crucial roll. Not only the living relatives, but also all the
ancestors were and are felt to belong to the living body of family.
On anothe level family means not only human beings sharing a houshold,
but all human beings, with whom i ever had contact, all living beings
even all things which we can see, touch, which are in my space of existence.
This perspective automatically implies a very personal relationship
with everybody and everything - everything is part of me, i am
part of everything else - and an understanding and feeling with the
processes in nature - and with all human made things as well - which
emerges from an understanding of ones own human nature. A lack of
respect towards "things" correlates
directly with a lack of respect of oneself. A being that
is aware of his/her own dignity automatically treats his/her environment
with respect. In the Kahuna Philosophy all parts of my body, and even "actions,
thoughts, fears and anger , grief, my judgements, my decisions, my
happiness, my greatness, my intelligence" are
all "members
of my family". Dignity is a key concept in this philosophy.
To be aware of your dignity means you know who you
are: creator of yor life and chief of your infinite "family".
Then you can even make a fool of yourself and still
remain in your dignity.
Dealing with animals results
from this attitude, too. In the old days there
would never be killed more animals than were needed for
food. And every part that was not eaten was
used in another way or else disposed of with respect.
Hunters did not hunt the animals. They went
on a spiritual retreat until the animal would show up
and give itself over to be killed and eaten.
For "are
you aware you are eating brother rabbit? Then eat
him with gratitude and dignity. Are you aware that
the grapes are awareness too? Then eat them with
enthusiasm and they will explode in your mouth with
joy."
(Kahu)
Kahuna Abraham Kawai, Aua'ia Maka'i'ole, Uliama,
what sort of Kahuna is this?
This Kahuna is a beeing who knows who he is and lives it.
He also knows that everybody else is that too: an unlimited
eternel devine being, a creator; and he is waiting for
his students to become aware of it too.
What is ist, that
draws me to his house?
Sure, he can heal broken bones in
a few hours and he is up to date with some of the latest
medical achievements from space technology - yes, he can
conduct moving rituals; - yes, he reads the sings of the
human body, of nature and all sorrounding situations; - yes,
he is not afraight to deal with possessions which no one
else wants to deal with; - yes he knows where to find water
in nature where nobody else can find any;- yes he dwells
in other realities without using magic mushrooms.... and
so much more. But to him all this are only the flowers
on the way. If you fall in love with them, stop and dwell
with them, yuo will never get through the door. And actually
much of the wonder-full, miraculous part of the old knowledge
that to the everydaymind seems to be miracles is mainly
a consistent application of the natural principles of life.
What draws me to the house of this Kahuna again and again
is the unconditional, absolute unreserved consistency of
doing instead of only saying. The "now,
not tomorrow", being instead of wanting
to be, would have, should have, if, when
and maybe.... (a strong challenge for
restrained persons) - and an unassuming
atmosphere of compassion and respect
that includeseverybody and everything.
The only thing expected of the students
being that they are committed to find
who they are and are truely themselves.
There are no limits to this.
I become
aware that there are worlds that I had
had no idea of and a faint idea of world
within those worlds and worlds within
those worlds .... to infinity.
Again
and again this immense boundlessness
of which i had been dreaming for such
a long time appears as a reality. I get
a taste of the vastness of who i am and
who i can be. This makes me dizzy at
times and makes my heart beat fast; but
i would not want live without this perspective
any more. With this perspective i find
it exciting to return to Germany looking
for new chalenges and experieces, to
be.....everything beyond my usual concepts.
"We
must understand the beauty of or being,
the empowered expression of that which
we are, here and now. To be or not to
be is not the question. What is has always ben the answer."
Kahuna Abraham Kawaii, Aua'ia Maka'i'ole,
Uliama
*(Pali Jae Lee und Koko Willis: Tales from die Night Rainbow, 4.
Aufl. Honolulu, 1994)
© by Elisabeth Müller-Schwefe
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