Puʻu o Mahuka Heiau State Historic Site on the North Shore of Oʻahu is the largest

heiau A ''heiau'' () is a Hawaiian temple. Made in different architectural styles depending upon their purpose and location, they range from simple earth terraces, to elaborately constructed stone platforms. There are heiau to treat the sick (''heia ...

on the island, covering on a hilltop overlooking

Waimea Bay Waimea Bay is located in Haleiwa on the North Shore of O'ahu in the Hawaiian Islands at the mouth of the Waimea River. Waimea Valley extends behind Waimea Bay. ''Waimea'' means "reddish water" in Hawaiian. History Captain Charles Clerke ...

and

Waimea Valley Waimea Valley is an area of historic cultural significance on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii. The valley, being an important place in Hawaiian religion, includes several historical structures including stone terraces and walls constructed duri ...

. From its commanding heights, sentries could once monitor much of the northern shoreline of Oʻahu, and even spot signal fires from the Wailua Complex of Heiaus on Kauaʻi, with which it had ties. It was designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 1962, when it became the center of a state park. It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1966. Puʻu o Mahuka means "Hill of Escape." Hawaiian legends have it that from this point, the volcano goddess Pele leaped from Oʻahu to the next island, Molokaʻi. The highest of the heiau's three walled enclosures may date to the 17th century, with the lower two enclosures perhaps added during the 18th century. These were times of great conflict, and the upper platform appears to have functioned as a

luakini In ancient Hawaii, a luakini temple, or luakini ''heiau'', was a Native Hawaiian sacred place where human and animal blood sacrifices were offered. In Hawaiian tradition, ''luakini heiaus'' were first established by Paʻao, a legendary priest ...

heiau (a sacrificial temple) to bring success in war. During the 1770s, the overseer of this heiau was Kaʻopulupulu, the high priest of the last independent high chief of Oʻahu, Kahāhana. In 1792, George Vancouver's ship, HMS ''Daedalus'', anchored near Waimea Bay to collect water. Three men in his shore party were killed in a skirmish with Native Hawaiians, 1930's archeologist J. Gilbert McAllister noted it was "probable" that the bodies of the three men were then taken to the heiau as

human sacrifice Human sacrifice is the act of killing one or more humans as part of a ritual, which is usually intended to please or appease gods, a human ruler, an authoritative/priestly figure or spirits of dead ancestors or as a retainer sacrifice, wherein ...

s. After

Kamehameha I Kamehameha I (; Kalani Paiea Wohi o Kaleikini Kealiikui Kamehameha o Iolani i Kaiwikapu kaui Ka Liholiho Kūnuiākea; – May 8 or 14, 1819), also known as Kamehameha the Great, was the conqueror and first ruler of the Kingdom of Hawaii. Th ...

conquered Oʻahu in 1795, his high priest

Hewahewa Hewahewa ( – February 16, 1837) was a Hawaiian religious leader who served as '' kahuna nui'' (high priest) of King Kamehameha I and his successor Kamehameha II. Hewahewa was a powerful figure in the royal court of Hawaii and played a major rol ...

led religious ceremonies here and the heiau remained in use until the traditional kapu system was abolished in 1819. At the start of

Makahiki The Makahiki season is the ancient Hawaiian New Year festival, in honor of the god Lono of the Hawaiian religion. It is a holiday covering four consecutive lunar months, approximately from October or November through February or March. The focu ...

, the four months of Hawaiian New Year, an observer standing at Kaʻena Point would see the

Pleiades The Pleiades (), also known as The Seven Sisters, Messier 45 and other names by different cultures, is an asterism and an open star cluster containing middle-aged, hot B-type stars in the north-west of the constellation Taurus. At a distance ...

( Makaliʻi) rising out of Pu'u o Mahuka Heiau just after sunset. The site can be reached from Pupukea Homestead Road (Highway 835), which starts at

Kamehameha Highway Kamehameha Highway is one of the main highways serving suburban and rural O‘ahu in the U.S. state of Hawai‘i. Informally known as Kam Highway, it begins at Nimitz Highway near Pearl Harbor and Hickam Air Force Base in Honolulu, serves the ...

(Highway 83) across from Pupukea fire station.

Gallery

File:Puu o Mahuka Heiau.jpg, Panoramic view of Pu'u o Mahuka Heiau File:Oahu-PuuoMahukaHeiau-topcorner-toward-Kaena.JPG, View from top corner toward Kaʻena Point File:Oahu-PuuoMahukaHeiau-topviewnorth.JPG, View from top corner looking north File:View from mahuka heiau to wailea.jpg, View toward Shark's Cove File:Oahu-PuuoMahukHeiau-lowerwall-sidepath.JPG, Lower wall and pathway File:Oahu-PuuoMahukaHeiau-Waimeavalleywall.JPG, View across

File:Oahu-PuuoMahukaHeiau-altarwithrooster.JPG, Visitor altar with guardian

rooster The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adult m ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pu'u O Mahuka Heiau State Monument Heiau Properties of religious function on the National Register of Historic Places in Hawaii National Historic Landmarks in Hawaii History of Oahu Archaeological sites in Hawaii Buildings and structures in Honolulu County, Hawaii Protected areas established in 1962 Protected areas of Oahu State parks of Hawaii National Register of Historic Places in Honolulu County, Hawaii 1962 establishments in Hawaii