Six Sacred Sites of Hawaii
Take a tour of the idyllic sites across the many islands where native Hawaiians have longstanding spiritual connections
- By Megan Gambino
- Smithsonian.com, November 16, 2011
(Steve Murray / Alamy)
For centuries, Hawaiian society, stratified into classes of chiefs, priests, skilled laborers and commoners, operated under a system of laws called kapu. The punishment for breaking the kapu, set forth by the gods, was death—unless the criminal fled to a puuhonua, or place of refuge.
One of the best-preserved puuhonua is located on the west coast of Hawaii, about 20 miles south of Kailua-Kona, in Puuhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park. The structure, as it stands now, is a 300-foot-long stone wall, at points 18 feet high and 25 feet wide, which roughly forms a right angle. According to Eric Andersen, chief of interpretation at the park, the puuhonua was most likely built about 1,000 years ago and used until the late 1700s. (The kapu system was officially abolished in 1819.) The number of lawbreakers who lived at any given time in the safe haven, however, surviving on meager rations, is difficult to say.
The prisoners’ offenses ranged from the seemingly innocuous—catching a fish out of season—to the unequivocally serious—murder. “If you made it here and survived, then absolution was a gift when you left,” says Andersen. “Prisoners would meet with kahuna, or priests, and an understanding would be made in order to erase their wrongs.”
On one end of the wall is a thatched structure surrounded by kii, or wooden carvings resembling Hawaiian gods. The mausoleum, called Hale o Keawe, once housed the bones of 23 chiefs. The bones, thought to endow the site with mana, or spiritual power, were removed in the 1800s, but the place is still considered hallowed ground. The National Park Service has managed the site since 1961, and over 400,000 people visit the park annually. “There is a sense that there is something of reverence here,” says Andersen. “People have said that the mana is strong.”
Comments (6)
I have been to Hawaii five times, four during WWll and again in 1996 on vacation. I failed to do proper research before visiting in '96 and failed to visit some most interesting sites. Thanks for these sites.
Posted by Louie Hornsby on February 7,2012 | 11:21 AM
I sure hope one day to go and visit in person that magnificent place and feel its spirituality and splendor. Merci-Thank you again for sharing.
Posted by Lucien Alexandre Marion on December 21,2011 | 01:13 PM
Mahalo for the knowledge you have shared. Maybe to share about sacred sites listed on each island and do an educational featuring cronilogical hstory, or the specific time periods about each moku would be appreciated. I don't remember this ever been done. That would be exciting. There is so much history, and sacred sites are referred to as wahi pana. Education and knowledge shared excites academic intrest of that unique culture.
Posted by Casina Waterman on December 7,2011 | 01:53 PM
One more reason to visit these paradise islands...
Posted by Lucien Alexandre Marion on November 24,2011 | 03:41 PM
Thankyou for showing the 6 sacred places in Hawaii. I didn't realize there was the sacred place on Molokai with the sacred rocks. I've been to all the other places except the 6th place. What about the 7 sacred pools in Hana, Maui or the Old Pali Lookout on the island of Oahu where Hawaiian battles were fought, or the Hawaiian fishpond at Koolau Ranch on the island of Oahu.
Posted by Chieko Higuchi on November 23,2011 | 10:44 AM
these petroglphs are so amazing, you can wander around for hours and get so lost in the stories they still tell
Posted by joani morris on November 18,2011 | 02:23 AM