Skip to main content

Transcript: Richard L. Paglinawan & Lynette Paglinawan

Hawaiian belief in the spirit of an individual, upon his or her death, remaining in contact with living family members


[Paglinawan:]
In those situations where there has been death in the family the part of their job is to help the family or the individual to deal with the loss and the separation and the “‘eha”—the pain and the hurt that is deep within. The Hawaiian culture recognizes that though the body of a person is dead, the “‘uhane” or the spirit of the person still is around. And there are many times where this spirit will come back out of love, concern, and protection for the ones who survive, and to give them advice about what’s happening in their lives, and to help them to look for solutions.