Heiau: Sacred Hawaiian Place By Martine Brousse Think Hawaii and these images come to mind: beautiful beaches, romantic sunsets, flavorful coffee, volcanoes, luscious vegetation, hula dancers and, especially expert in my case, abundant shopping. But would you know about the magical, powerful and ancient sacred places called heiaus? Probably not. An ancient temple complex, whose name signifies “capture (hei) of invisible power (au)”, the heiaus have often been destroyed down to some piles or walls of stones. Some have been preserved and are now part of national or state parks They all have particular distinctions: petroglyphs at Luahiwa on Lanai, location such as Iao valley on Maui, history at Kokoiki on the Big Island (birthplace of King Kamehameha the first all-island ruler), specialty such as healing at Kauleinanahoa on Molokai, the site of the fertility phallic rock, religious significance and communication with specific deities at Ke-ahu-a-Laka on Kauai, dedicated to the goddess of dance and hula Laka. Many heiaus are accessible to the public, who visit without knowing the ancestral significance of the site. Mauna Kea volcano on the Big Island, the famous snorkeling spot Hanauma bay on Oahu and Shipwreck Beach on Lanai are ancient heiaus. Numerous more sites remain only known to the local population, and the sight of flowers, food or shells left in nature at incongruous places may be the only indicators to outsiders of the significance of seemingly ordinary rocks. Deeply connected to the ruling Ali’i or royalty, as well as to kahunas, the masters or shaman priests, a heiau was foremost the siege of superlative mana. Mana is as central to the heiau than it is to Hawaiian everyday and spiritual life. The equivalent of chi, or ki, it is the life force that is contained within all beings, life, and places in Hawaiian culture. Given by the gods, mana is primarily found in the Ali’i by virtue of their privileged birth, and as their descendants. Kahunas, almost always Ali’i themselves, increased their birth mana by the extensive and lengthy study of a specialty such as healing, navigation, sorcery or agriculture, and by initiation to secret formulae, chants and rituals. This mana, concentrated at the temple, and dispensed by the chief and priest, was used as a healing power to bring prosperity, rain and security. It was a tool to communicate with the gods and ask for their favors, especially for military victory. Mana was also used to cast spells over, bring death or plagues to, or ensure the misery of enemies. The bones of deceased rulers would sometimes be buried within the grounds of the heiau, hereby adding their mana to the site. Certain geographical features such as the whale-shaped hill Pu’ukohola on the Big Island, or Kelauea volcano, where Goddess Pele dwells, do increase mana significantly. Heleakala, the Maui dormant volcano, is thought to be a place of higher consciousness and to house an energy vortex that allows time and space travel. Its pyramid shape and obvious concentration of energy attract many lightworkers, and leaves a powerful imprint on all its visitors. The U.S. government even has a “secret” facility on its summit. With the arrival of a Tahitian priest Pa’ao in the 12th century, the house of worship, of kahuna initiation and of direct contact with the gods, was often transformed into a luakini, where human sacrifices were performed to please or thank the divinities. I visited several such temples, and could still feel a disturbing and negative aura around them. An essential feature of the heaiu is the kapu or taboo that surrounds it. Polynesian in origin, it is the law that prohibits contact with the ali’i or kahuna by the general population, or entry into the heaiu by women and the common man. A few female-only temples are known to exist though. Separate kapu rules existed within the Ali’i caste as well. Kapu laws enforced and ensured the protection of the mana, therefore maintaining the order of the Hawaiian world. Breaking the kapu was punished by death, often as a sacrifice in the luakini, for the displeased and angry gods would punish the whole nation with earthquakes and other calamities. As more importance was placed on the protection rules after Pa’ao’s arrival, certain heaius called Pu’uhonua became places of refuge, where anyone who had broken a kapu and was able to flee to this temple, would be given shelter and guaranteed life. Defeated warriors could also escape certain death there. Refugees would have to be purified and cleansed before being able to return to their normal life but immunity from harm was guaranteed upon their leaving. The Big Island’s Pu’uhonua O Honaunau heiau is the best-reconstructed temple site in Hawaii, and a place of great serenity and peace. The visual reminders of the kapu were the ki’i, the wooden images of the temple god, standing guard by the entrance. Their ferocious appearance, with white eyes made of shells and real animal teeth, was meant to deter all intruders. Believed to hold the mana of the god, they received their own offerings. The architecture of the heiau was not set in stone. However all were made of strong lava rock, chosen for their strong mana, and involved much labor. Long human chains would often be necessary to carry the rocks from distant sites. Built on the orders of a ruling chief, their size and design reflected on his wealth and power. The Menehunes are said to have constructed some of them. The Menehunes, or Night Marchers, are Hawaiian supernatural spirits (or possibly the original human inhabitants of the islands), famous for their skills, and speed. They would build an edifice in one night, and any human watching them would be turned into stones. Growing in size and height with time, temples evolved into more and more complex and impressive structures. They all however followed the basic square or rectangular shape. Enclosed by a wall, a smooth surface led to a raised platform. Simple structures had one level, which was used for offerings. Typical ones had 3 levels. The highest one was sacrosanct, the site of direct communication with the god. Only the ruling chief and temple kahuna could enter this space. The Ki’i statues guarded the entrance of the temple. Other structures within the temple complex could include a drum house, an oven called imu, fishponds, wooden towers, birthing stones, healing waters kept in carved out stones, and habitations. Many housed specialized kahuna schools. Rituals at the temples were kept secret and only the initiated and high-ranked could attend and participate. They followed established and specifically dated traditions, usually for agricultural purposes, or were performed for specific reasons, such as before a battle or to ensure fertility. Oracles were consulted, and protective or destructive spells were cast. Most of these ancient rites were lost, when kapu was broken and the ancient religion abandoned, to be replaced by Christianity. Offering food, flowers or other small objects to the ancestors and gods still remain a practiced ritual. These offerings can be seen all over Hawaii today. When I drove to a heaiu on Oahu a couple of years ago, I was quite surprised to find such an offering there. It had taken me a drive of more than ½ hour, on an unpaved trail, up the top of a cliff, in the middle of literally nowhere, without any house in sight, to find the site. And there were some fresh fruit and flowers. This is a testimony to the endurance of these practices, and the deeply rooted belief that mana is at the heart of man and of the land.

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