From the Forward: Writing this book has been an ongoing project. Elders have passed away and new teachers have begun teaching or sharing. The historical and cultural information I have gathered over the years has come from many sources, sometimes conflicting, in both academic and grassroots arenas. Many native Hawaiian contributors have had no formal education and are largely self-taught. Some have pieced together teachings of their elders, their own ideas, and personal experiences. Old records in the Hawaiian language are few and far between, and there are many nuances and layers in the Hawaiian language that have been greatly diluted or misinterpreted. This has led to many confusing or inauthentic representations of this sacred healing art that have been taken at face value by innocent and earnest seekers. For the most part, there are several prevalent ‘schools’ of lomilomi traditions and styles, stemming from teachings of those who popularized lomilomi well before it became the common modality it is today. Before the kapu was lifted, a gradual process that occurred from approximately 1975 to the present, lomilomi was not done in spas or clinics like we see today. It was only done in private homes, between friends and family members, and usually for free. And truthfully, very few know the subtle and powerful techniques that were once abundant—before the impact of foreigners in Hawai‘i. What has evolved is a mixture of old and new techniques that have been adapted to the massage table for the ease of the practitioner. The ambiance of Hawai‘i is created with scented oils, peaceful Hawaiian music, colorful fabrics, and perhaps some hot stones. The massage may only last 50 minutes. But without ho‘opono pono, pule, mana and internal cleansing, is it truly different from other relaxing forms of massage? This question is one that all the teachers today are trying to address, as we continue to uncover more forgotten pieces to this sacred ancient Hawaiian healing art. The massage techniques now used by most practitioners stem from several notable kumu whose teachings were prevalent when I first began my own career decades ago. The first two are Aunty Margaret Machado of Kona, who emphasized Christian prayers, ‘loving’ the body, colon cleansing, and professional draping, and Kahu Abraham of Kaua‘i, who introduced a sensual, flowing style performed on the nude body to induce kundalini-style orgasms and transformations of consciousness (later called ‘Temple Bodywork’). Both of these teachers combined some of their traditional knowledge from their teachers and ancestors with some of their own concepts, and ‘broke the kapu’ by teaching non-Hawaiians before it was common to do so. Other great lineages come from Maui and O‘ahu, some of which are mentioned in this book.
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