Na Mo'olelo Lomilomi: The Traditions of Hawaiian Massage and Healing

Lomilomi is the traditional art of Hawaiian massage, an ancient practice that is renowned today for being a soothing, flowing, gentle, and relaxing experience. But to the healers of old Hawai‘i, lomilomi was much more. As documented here in oral histories of native kahuna (priest doctors) who lived in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, lomilomi was connected to almost every aspect of Hawaiian life, from pregnancy and the birthing process to lua, the ancient Hawaiian martial art. Lomilomi includes heat and water therapies, chiropractic manipulation, bone setting, and ho‘'oponopono (counseling). It can cure the most common ailments, or bring someone back from the brink of death. This book reprints virtually every published reference to lomilomi from 1779 to 2004. Essential for lomilomi students and practitioners, Na Mo'‘olelo Lomilomi delves into the historic roots, the cultural context, and the diversity of the traditional healing art. No other book has this wisdom of the kahuna.