Nā Puʻuwai Receives Grant for Free Cultural Workshops

Nā Pu‘uwai, the native Hawaiian health care center that serves the Moloka‘i and Lāna‘i communities, recently received a $3,000 grant from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to provide free, traditional Hawaiian workshops for expectant and new mothers.

“We greatly appreciate the support of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs because this allows us to deliver prenatal and postpartum information and health services in a way that resonates with the communities we serve,” executive director of Nā Pu‘uwai Kamahanahokulani Farrar said. “Surrounding moms and their children with care and attention strengthens their health and the overall wellbeing of families.”

Nā Puʻuwai plans on using the grant to offer four educational workshops on traditional Native Hawaiian practices. The workshops will be held on Jan. 26, Feb. 2, Feb. 9, and Feb. 16, 2019, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The workshops on Jan. 26 and Feb. 9 will be held at the Nā Pu‘uwai Lānaʻi office, which is located at 832 Kiele Street, across from the ILWU Local 142 Union Hall in Lāna‘i City. The workshops on Feb. 2 and Feb. 16 will be held at the Nā Pu‘uwai Molokaʻi office, which is located at 604 Maunaloa Hwy., Building C, in Kaunakakai.

Each of the workshops will cover the following topics:

• Kūkakūkā, or traditional Hawaiian breast-feeding practices
• Panena, or group discussions to address questions about prenatal and postpartum concerns
• Wahine hāpai lomi, a group activity to teach partners and supportive community members about gentle, comforting massage techniques for hāpai This lesson will focus on techniques to reduce stress to the neck, shoulders and lower back
• Keiki lomi, a group activity to teach parents, family members, and supportive community members about comforting massage techniques for babies during their first year of life. This lesson will focus on techniques to increase bonding, including techniques to soothe baby to sleep, improve weight gain, aid digestion, improve circulation, ease teething pain, and help decrease the risk of child neglect and abuse
• Wahine hāpai lā‘au lapa‘au, which will showcase local plants grown on Lāna‘i and Moloka‘i that have traditionally been used to support healthy pregnancies, birth, postpartum recovery, breastfeeding, and newborn health
• ‘Ai pono, a talk story session and cooking demonstration featuring healthy foods for pregnancy and the first year of life
• Ho‘oikaika kino to teach specific exercises known to prepare a woman’s body for the birthing process, including lower body strengthening
• Makana no nā kamali‘i, an art workshop that engages mothers and families in creating a gift for the baby that incorporates mana ‘ohana.

More information about the workshops can be found by calling Nā Puʻuwai at (808) 560-3653.