There was a patient, an old Hawaiian woman, who had been seeing her Doctor in Honolulu for some time with no success. No matter what he prescribed, she still had the same pain in her head and in her throat. Exasperated, he looked at her chart, looked at her and said, 'There is nothing more that I can do for you. You are Kanaka sick. Go and have Kanaka medicine for your illness.'
She was elated! Her Western physician was telling her it was OKAY to seek traditional, old Hawaiian healing! She went home right away, told her family, lay in bed, and waited for the Cousin, the kahuna to arrive.
He came, took his time, stopping to bathe and to dress in his pure white kahuna priests' robe. He sat cross legged on a mat in the center of the room, and commanded, 'Auntie, tell me your troubles.'
She poured out a story of how she had a quarrel with her only son more than a month ago. She hadn't meant it, but in anger he left home. The evil which began with the quarrel had about driven her mad with pains in her head and the strangling sensation in her throat. Her headstrong son had gone to sea as a common sailor after their quarrel. Since he left in anger, the pains had grown worse and worse and with them had come a premonition that son would be drowned at sea and she would never be able to tell him how she regretted those hard words.
The whole sad story was told. Auntie cried, everyone in the room cried.
With the voice of authority, cousin finally said, 'Auntie, you have allowed a great evil to take hold. We will ask the gods to help. If they are willing, we will drive this evil from you.' Each person in the room was given a task. Papa must go to bring back five mullet fresh from the water. Another to bring fresh ti leaves, another taro, another...brandy, awa root, salt, an egg, seawater, and driftwood from the beach.
