Pana O`ahu

Sacred Stones, Sacred Land

Jan Becket & Joseph Singer

Publication Year: 2000

Few regions of the United States can equal the high concentration of endangered ancient cultural sites found in Hawaii. Built by the indigenous people of the Islands, the sites range in age from two thousand to two hundred years old and in size and extent from large temple complexes serving the highest order of chiefs to modest family shrines. Today, many of these structures are threatened by their proximity to urban development. Sites are frequently vandalized or, worse, bulldozed to make way for hotels, golf courses, marinas, and other projects. The sixty heiau photographed and described in this volume are all located on Oahu, the island that has experienced by far the most development over the last two hundred years. These captivating images provide a compelling argument for the preservation of Hawaiian sacred places. The modest sites of the maka‘ainana (commoners)—small fishing, agricultural, craft, and family shrines—are given particular attention because they are often difficult to recognize and prone to vandalism and neglect. Also included are the portraits of twenty-eight Hawaiians who shared their knowledge with archaeologist J. Gilbert McAllister during his survey of Oahu in the 1930s. Without their contribution, the names and histories of many of the heiau would have been lost. The introductory text provides important contextual information about the definition and function of heiau, the history of the abolition of traditional Hawaiian religion, preservation issues, and guidelines for visiting heiau.

Published by: University of Hawai'i Press

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The purpose of this book is to record for future generations, as accurately and in as beautiful a light as possible, the remains of the ancient sacred sites on the island of O‘ahu. These structures were the works of the indigenous people...

Preface

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pp. xi-xv

This documentary project took shape as the H-3 Freeway was making its way out of Ha‘ikü Valley, around Pu‘ukeahiakahoe, approaching Kukuiokäne Heiau in the Ko‘olaupoko...

Acknowledgements

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pp. xvi-xviii

Introduction

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pp. xix-xxxi

Nearly two hundred years after the ending of the ‘ai kapu¹² and with it the formal structure of Hawaiian religion, heiau remain an important part of Hawaiian culture.¹³ Despite current efforts of Hawaiians to record, preserve, and use these...

Map of O‘ahu

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pp. xxxii-xxxiv

Kona

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pp. 1-32

Only six ahupua‘a (land divisions) formed the pre-Mähele Kona District: Moanalua, Kahauiki, Kalihi, Kapälama, Honolulu, and Waikïkï. The largest ahupua‘a, Waikïkï, stretched approximately from Makiki to Maunalua...

‘Ewa

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pp. 33-58

The largest district, ‘Ewa, also encompasses the widest coastal plain on O‘ahu. Much of its coastal area is an emerged seabed formed of coral in the Pleistocene era, when sea levels...

Wai‘anae

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pp. 59-84

The Wai‘anae District in pre-Mähele days extended south from the leeward slopes of the Wai‘anae Range toward the ‘Ewa District, and west toward the leeward coast. It included a long...

Waialua

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pp. 85-108

he district of Waialua was large, encompassing about seventy-eight square miles, including fourteen ahupua‘a. According to legend, Waialua— which might mean “doubly disgraceful”—arose...

Ko‘olauloa

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pp. 109-126

The northern Ko‘olauloa District, backed by low mountains, has a relatively dry climate. However, in ancient times it supported spring-fed lo‘i kalo (taro terraces) in certain areas, such as the place...

Ko‘olaupoko

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pp. 127-164

Ko‘olaupoko and Ko‘olauloa Districts are often described as a unified land area owing to their similar topography of high-peaked mountains, deep valleys, wide and fertile coastal plains, and...

Notes

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pp. 165-170

Glossary of Proper Names

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pp. 171-173

Glossary of Hawaiian Terms

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pp. 174-178

Bibliography

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pp. 179-181

Index

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pp. 182-185

Contributors

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p. 186-186

E-ISBN-13: 9780824863845
Print-ISBN-13: 9780824823054

Publication Year: 2000