The essence of healing is the realignment of mind, body and spirit. At Pā‘aiau, restoration and healing go hand in hand, physically and spiritually. When the Ali‘i Pauahi Hawaiian Civic Club and the ‘Aiea community were approached by the Navy to help restore the site, it was a dream come true for them. They knew it would be a big task and would take some time, so as a means to ground the practice in healing the pond, the community and Hawai`i’s service members, they asked to create a space where traditional practices could be shared and learned. In this way, the healing would be in the doing. "If the ‘āina and humans are connected, the ‘ōlelo no‘eau, that says that "Land is the chief; man is its servant," He ali‘i ka ‘āina; he kauwā ke kanaka, is manifested. How can we serve the land and the pond, if we are broken ourselves? In serving the land, we find that we can repair that brokenness. In western terminology, they call it horticultural therapy. But in Hawaiian, you call it Aloha ‘Āina, Mālama ‘Āina. When you care for the land, the land cares for you. "Aloha Aku, Aloha Mai, Love is given, Love is received." We believe that this healing space will especially benefit all who carry wounds from historical trauma, or PTSD. Mālama ‘Āina is a way of connecting with the ancestors, the land, with God and ‘aumakua. It means connecting with the very foundation of Loko Pā‘aiau and the mana from the Mō‘ī Wahine whose essence still pervades the fishpond.

Traditional practices call for traditional spaces, so a healing hale for community gatherings and native practices was envisioned and built in January 2021, with support from the Living Life Source Foundation, the Office of Community Services, City and County of Honolulu, the Office of Economic Development, PAF, and hundreds of donors and volunteers. Ka Hale Ali`i o Na Koa, “The Royal House of the Warrior,” was built mainly, with traditional materials such as mangrove and ironwood from Kapālama, kiawe from the site, loulu from ‘Ewa. There are no nails. Traditionally built with rare sennit, here, it is, instead, reinforced with paratrooper cord. A crew of 8 traditional practitioners, led by Master Hale Builder Francis “Palani” Sinenci, a Vietnam veteran from Hana, Maui, and the non-profit Hōlani Hana, were joined by over 100, mostly Native Hawaiian volunteers, including, veterans, descendants of veterans, Pearl Harbor shipyard workers, students, kumu and alumni from `Aiea High School, King David Kalākaua Middle School, Kamakau, Punahou, Kamehameha, McKinley, Kailua, Roosevelt, `Iolani and other Hawai`i and continental schools. Community groups, including the `Aiea Community Association, `Aiea/Kalauao residents, Boy Scouts, Kapapapuhi, the Honolulu Friends, and lineal descendants also contributed to its creation. “If we are to talk about Native Hawaiian health, we ask the doctors to bring their patients down there so they can be in the context of the traditional healing space.” The hale is now a physical and mental healing sanctuary, which includes practices such as pule (prayer), ho’oponopono (making things right), lomi lomi (massage), lāʻau lapaʻau (herbal medicine), ‘ai pono (healthy eating), lāʻau kahea (faith healing), ka hana kapa (kapa making), and mālama ‘āina (repairing the land which repairs the soul). Master practitioner Uncle Bruce Keaulani is available for healing sessions, and has gone to hospitals, such as Tripler, to visit patients. The first indigenous medicine plant was planted by family practice residents of Pali Momi Hospital. Other native medicinal plants are also waiting to be planted, such as aloe, kukui, popolo, and ‘ulu.