How did indigenous people reconcile taking the life of another human being when it is an ingrained part of your culture? Or was there a reconciliation? Did those pre-contact people suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder as soldiers of war and others have done in more modern times?
If all that a culture knows is war, would they then not be prepared when being placed in a highly stressful situation where the loss of life is a daily occurrence?
.............
Lua practitioners will say that in the heat of battle they are overcome or inspired by the god Ku'ilua after maiming an enemy. That inspiration or possession moves them to relieve the eye or liver from the enemy and thereby consume it in deference to that diety. My first kill came on the night that I choked the assassin of my father by stuffing my father's still beating heart down his throat, there would be more to follow in the ensuing years while in college and once I assumed the mantle of Kahuna of my office. Outwardly and publicly I am the owner of an office which helps people with Ho'oponopono, the closest western translation of which would be conflict resolution, but not quite. Tabby has been a master of her skill from the time of her childhood and well into her youth, and in the course of her life with myself and my uncles and aunt, she has also taken a life. In those instances, we have removed a moment in time to sit with her and employ ho'oponopono in order that she may reconcile with her self and come to understand the taking of a life is an eventuality in the work we do. We do not seek it out, but the end of a life will come into our circle now and again and we must be able to see it for what it is, in Tabby's case it is not the taking of a life that troubles her sleep. It is who's life it was which bothers her.
.............
Little Christopher's mother Hazel was a member of yet another fledgling paranormal group with no real guidance to speak of in the way of a proper mentor or leader. 'Every man for himself' was the motto by which they functioned. That motto may as well have been an open invitation to the most unsavory characters to petition for membership without the proper screening process; Hazel had no life to speak of outside of her job and caring for Christopher. The atmosphere among the membership was thick with a competition where everyone claimed to be talented with some level of psychic ability with each person eagerly currying favor among the group's leadership. Hazel had no psychic talent to speak of, she, therefore, thought to busy herself with the study of demons and their names and abilities in order that she might master the long list. Indeed she did, so much so that during investigations she would call out the names of demons beginning from A to Z, for the several months of her membership this was her task. Because the majority of the group were self-serving and harbored no true care for their fellows, none sought to caution Hazel as to her clarion calls to the monstrous otherworldly entities of which she identified by name and deed. One late evening in the aftermath of an investigation, she rushed to the home of her babysitter to retrieve little Christopher as the hour for his pick up was well past the agreed upon time. Hazel entered the home only to find the woman prone on the floor with her eyes wide open as she pointed to the ceiling above the spot where Hazel stood. There was Christopher floating above the door with his face appearing as an aged old man with deep circles under his eyes and even deeper dark lines around his face and mouth. He set upon his mother and assaulted her with such brutality as to leave her with bloody scratch marks and gouges, his babysitter having already been assaulted was too paralyzed with terror to help Hazel. Christopher was possessed, but by what demon, Hazel did not know.
Hazel employed the help of her newfound paranormal friends to perform a collective exorcism at her high rise apartment which immediately fell apart as no one would relent from their particular means of offering the rites. The consternation and infighting escalated to name calling and fisticuffs, all the while the demon who occupied Christopher's body sat by and giggled with evil excitement. It was only after several more desperate failed attempts to discover who the dark entity might be, that Hazel finally found Tabby. My daughter consented to lend her help to the desperate mother and asked for the address of Hazel's house, within less than an hour Kealoha arrived at the aforementioned location and Tabby emerged from the vehicle and approached the building and entered. Hazel opened the door to reveal several of the group members seated around the living room, many of them eyed Tabby with caution while Tabby stared at each one of them. My daughter is tall, athletic and lithe, she cuts an imposing figure when she enters a room and immediately takes command of it, no one dared to approach her save for Hazel herself. Little Christopher lay on his bed which was brought down from his room and positioned to take the space in the middle of the parlor.
Tabby questioned the mother as to the demon revealing his name, but the mother said that each time the question is asked, the demon becomes angry and physically attacks someone in the group. As if on cue and without warning, little Christopher came to life and jumped from his bed and knocked Tabby to the floor. Now he punched her again and again about the face, leaving her with a bloody nose and a bruised eye, Tabby jumped to her feet only to be pulled down to the floor by her hair.
..............
TABBY
My father says that this part should be told in my own words, makes sense since my father is such a gentleman that he omitted the part where the so-called leader of the paranormal group approached me and started giving me his credentials against my will.
"I've got years of experience under my belt," he tells me. "I can help you with the rituals, I get calls to do this kind of thing all the time."
"Amazing," I told him and his chest swelled with pride and a wry grin came over his face.
"Yeah," he nodded. "It is pretty amazing, it's scary but it's amazing how after I conduct the ceremony people tell me that I changed their lives."
"No," I told him. "It's amazing that you've got such nerve to say that you've got all this experience and that you can help me, but yet here's this little boy who's still possessed?" There was silence, he said nothing because he didn't know what to say. I got up in his face and told him, "Go sit your amazing ass down before you embarrass yourself."
It was about that time that I asked Hazel if the demon who possessed Christopher revealed his name yet? Before Hazel could reply, Christopher blindsided me. I wasn't prepared and he beat me pretty bad but it wasn't Christopher, it was the demon who was doing it. If Hazel's paranormal friends were worth anything they would have immediately jumped in and assisted me, but no, they were quick to scatter and run out of the house, their leader being the first to leave them behind. That left only myself and Hazel, the evil within Christopher was all over me. He or It was not giving me a second to recover. It was pounding my face into the wall just below the open picture window which overlooked Mother Waldren Park, it was the first time I felt that helpless desperation to live. Christopher let go of me and sat up against the wall where my head had just made an indentation. He moved closer until we were almost facing one another and he whispered, "Buddy Hualala'i had nothing to do with the death of your father and brother, I did it. I killed them."
Then Christopher whispered the name of the demon which possessed his body but I didn't care, a boiling fury began to rise within me after hearing what the demon had to say. How did it know about my father and brother? Did this demon really kill them? For real? Christopher then stood over me and drew his leg back so that he could kick me, but I caught his instep under my arm with my left. Then I placed my open right palm under his butt cheeks and I lifted with all the strength I had left and little Christopher went flying out the picture window and fell twenty-three stories to his death, but not before I snapped his neck.
Demon 1, Tabby 0.
He touched a nerve and I let it happen instead knowing very well that it was purposely trying to get under my skin and it did. Little Christopher is dead because of it.
............
BOY
Christopher's passing was ruled as an unattended death and nothing was ever said about a possession or an exorcism. Hazel left the paranormal group and singularly pursued a life of trying to communicate with Christopher on the other side in order that she might save his soul. Tabby has endured many ho'oponopno sessions and 'awa ceremonies in order to relieve herself of the nightmares which trouble her. The punctuation of her pursuit of peace of mind and soul has culminated in one ceremony which will assist her in accepting the pain of her actions and releasing her of that same pain so that it does not linger in her subconscious, thereby causing her an unpleasant slumber. She is receiving uhi, a traditional aumakua design to be tattoed or tapped into her skin by traditional methods and tools. The process under which spiritual protocols are undertaken will relieve her of her post-traumatic stress disorder in reference to Christopher's untimely demise. The transference of ink to skin and the rhythmic tapping will break away the walls of time and allow Tabby to traverse the veil where she may commune with her ancestors and find solace and reconciliation.
Hanson Boy Napualawa
Earlier Event: October 28
Haunted Honolulu Trolley Tour
Later Event: October 29
Haunted Honolulu Trolley Tour
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