A ''heiau'' () is a

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

. 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 (''heiau hōola''), offer first fruits, offer first catch, start rain, stop rain, increase the population, ensure the health of the nation, achieve success in distant voyaging, reach peace, and achieve success in war (''luakini''). Only the luakini was dedicated through human sacrifice. There are two types of luakini. They were called the ''ohia ko'' and ''hakuohia''.Samuel Kamakau, ''Ka Poe Kahiko; The People of Old'' (Honolulu: Bishop Museum Press, 1993), 130. After the official end of

Hawaiian religion Hawaiian religion refers to the indigenous religious beliefs and practices of native Hawaiians, also known as the kapu system. Hawaiian religion is based largely on the tapu religion common in Polynesia and likely originated among the Tahitia ...

in 1819 and with later pressure from

Christian missionaries A Christian mission is an organized effort for the propagation of the Christian faith. Missions involve sending individuals and groups across boundaries, most commonly geographical boundaries, to carry on evangelism or other activities, such ...

(who first arrived in 1820), many were deliberately destroyed, while others were allowed to fall into disrepair. Heiau are still considered sacred by many of the inhabitants of Hawaii, and some are not open to the public. In ancient times, only chiefs and priests were allowed into some of these heiau. There are even stories from Hawaiian folklore attributing the creation of these temples to the

menehune Menehune are a mythological race of dwarf people in Hawaiian tradition who are said to live in the deep forests and hidden valleys of the Hawaiian Islands, hidden and far away from human settlements. The Menehune are described as superb craft ...

s, a group of legendary dwarf people. Some heiau structures have been fully restored physically and are operated in the 21st century as public attractions.

Architecture

Heiau were made in different shapes depending upon their purpose, varying from simple stone markers to large stone platforms and often included high stacked stone walls surrounding an open central enclosure. Their shapes could be rectangular, square, or rounded.Kamakau, p. 135 Some consisted of simple earth terraces, while others were elaborately constructed stone platforms. They could be placed on hills, cliffs, level earth, valleys and on the coastline touching the sea. Some ''koa'' or fishing shrines were built underwater. Heiau of the people varied in size. Large heiau were built by prominent people while small heiau were built by the humble. US missionary Hiram Bingham described a heiau he saw on route hiking between the summits of Mauna Kea and Hualalai. Made of piled lava rock, it was a square of , with walls eight feet high and four feet thick (2.5 by 1.3m). A doorway led through the middle of the north wall. Eight pyramids surrounded the outside of the temple. Made also of piled lava rock, they were in diameter and 12 to high.

Heiau types

The ''luakini pookanaka'' were large heiaus. Only the Alii nui of an island or moku could use this type of heiau. Other chiefs or the ''makaainana'' that built this type of heiau were considered rebels. This type of heiau was usually built alongside coastlines, in the interior of the land, or on mountain sides. The largest heiau on Oahu is Puu O Mahuka, which covers almost two acres of land. This heiau was not only used for religious purposes. As it was also used to track fire signals from the Wailua Complex of Heiaus on Kauai An older form of heiau is preserved on

Nihoa Nihoa (; haw, Nīhoa ), also known as Bird Island or Moku Manu, is the tallest of ten islands and atolls in the uninhabited Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI). The island is located at the southern end of the NWHI chain, southeast of ...

and Necker Island. This form is typically referred to as '' marae'' as these structures more closely resemble structures referred to by similar names elsewhere in Polynesia and in general were replaced by the more common form visible in the rest of the island chain today after the abandonment of those islands. In general, maraes in Hawaii are represented by stone platforms, sometimes tiered, with stone uprights typically located near the edges of the platform or tier.

Preserved sites

The heiau most commonly preserved are war temples of the later period of history (e.g. Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site). They are composed of large stone platforms with various structures built upon them. The structures were used to house priests, sacred ceremonial drums, sacred items, and

cult image In the practice of religion, a cult image is a human-made object that is venerated or worshipped for the deity, spirit or daemon that it embodies or represents. In several traditions, including the ancient religions of Egypt, Greece and Ro ...

s representing the gods associated with that particular temple. There were also altars (Ahu) on which to offer

sacrifice Sacrifice is the offering of material possessions or the lives of animals or humans to a deity as an act of propitiation or worship. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Greeks, and possibly exis ...

s (plant, animal and human). The heiau were sacred places; only the kahuna (priests) and certain sacred ali'i (high chiefs) were allowed to enter. The largest heiau known to exist, Hale O Pi'ilani Heiau, is a massive, three-acre (12,000-square-meter) platform with fifty-foot retaining walls, located in Hāna on

Maui The island of Maui (; Hawaiian: ) is the second-largest of the islands of the state of Hawaii at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2) and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is the largest of Maui County's four islands, whic ...

. Built for Pi'ilani, it dates to the 13th century. Agricultural heiau, called generally ''Hale-o-Lono'' for the god of fertility, can be found today on Oahu at Makaha (Kaneaki heiau - fully restored) and in Hawaii Kai (Pahua heiau - partially restored). The Kaneaki heiau was built in the 17th century, containing grass and thatched huts that were chambers used for prayer and meditation. The ruins of a healing heiau, Keaiwa ("the mysterious"), are located at the entrance to Keaiwa State Park in Aiea. Puuhonua o Honaunau, in South Kona on the island of Hawaii, is a place of refuge. It incorporates a heiau complex within it. Because the land of heiau was sacred, it was not unusual for successive generations to add to original structures and the heiau purpose could change over time. An example is Ulupo heiau in Kailua on Oahu, which is said to have been built by the ''menehune,'' that is, a long time ago. It is thought to have been used first as an agricultural heiau and later as a luakini.

Destruction

The kapu or ai kapu'' system was abolished in October 1819 by Kamehameha II (Liholiho). The abolition of the kapu system ended the use of heiau as places of worship and sacrifice. A period referred to as the 'Ai Noa or "free eating" followed. Missionaries arrived in 1820, and most of the aliʻi converted to Christianity, including

Kaʻahumanu Kaahumanu (March 17, 1768 – June 5, 1832) (''"the feathered mantle"'') was queen consort and acted as regent of the Kingdom of Hawaii as Kuhina Nui. She was the favorite wife of King Kamehameha I and also the most politically powerful, ...

and Keōpūolani. It took 11 years for Kaʻahumanu to proclaim laws against indigenous religious practices. All heiau were officially abandoned; most were destroyed over the years. Often they were broken up and plowed under to make way for fields of sugar cane. However, some of the families who were responsible for the heiau have continued the tradition of caring for them.

List

Hawaii * Puʻukoholā Heiau * Moʻokini Heiau * ʻAhuʻena Heiau *Mailekini Heiau *Hale o Kapuni Heiau Maui * Loaloa Heiau *Hale O Piʻilani Heiau * Haleki'i-Pihana Heiau State Monument Molokai * 'Ili'ili'ōpae Heiau Oahu * Hale O Papa other Earth Heiau in Halawa*Hoʻolonopahu Heiau *Kaneʻaki Heiau *Pahua Heiau *Pahukini Heiau * Keaiwa Heiau * Puʻu o Mahuka Heiau * Ulupo Heiau Kauai *

Wailua River State Park Wailua River State Park and the Wailua Complex of Heiaus, which it includes, are located on the eastern side of the Hawaiian island of Kauai. The park consists primarily of the Wailua River valley, which is the only navigable river in Hawaii. Vis ...

* Kaulu Paoa Hula Heiau * Kaulu-o-Laka Hula Heiau Niihau *Kauwaha Heiau *Pahau Heiau *Pueo Heiau *Kaunupou Heiau *Kaunuapua Heiau *Puhi Ula Heiau

Architecture

Heiau types

Preserved sites

Destruction

List

See also

References

Further reading