Identifying family violence: a community prototype incorporating Native Hawaiian values and practices

The manual, Identifying Family Violence: A Community Prototype Incorporating Native Hawaiian Values and Practices is a pioneering effort which health care professionals can adapt, expand, or refine in their work with Hawaiians and non-Hawaiians as well. Our assumption is that a culturally integrated approach is a necessary component of a community's strategy to address this escalating problem. Family violence is a virus which threatens all of us. It weakens the pohai ke aloha (circle of aloha) which binds the family together. When the pohai ke aloha is weakened, each family member's mana (vital force) declines. When a familys mana is in decline, the lokahi (harmony) within the family and our community is disrupted. We, as a community, a society, a nation, cannot afford to stand by and condone violence within the family. Ultimately, we all suffer when our families are hurting. Hana pono ka puuwai malamalama.. An enlightened heart acts accordingly.