I'll share a couple of places I've investigated in the last couple of days while riding my bike. Nothing definite but these are the suspected places that once were important to the Hawaiian people of the area. Now nothing remains of them as far as I can tell.
Near the two craters, known as Aliamanu and Aliapa'akai, was an area called Leilono. A place where spirits gathered and travelled to the realm of their aumakua. If they were fortunate enough. Similar to other doors to the spirit realm like the one found at Kaena Point.
Using these legends as guidelines, some ancient Hawaiians used the area as a burial ground. Or as Kamakau named it, the burial mound of Aliamanu. May have been there.
This is the tallest hill on the ocean side of the freeway when you're heading over Red Hill. It's also the ahupua'a marker of Halawa and Moanalua. As well as the district marker between the Moku of Kona and Ewa. I'm unsure if Pu'u Kapu or Pu'u O' Ma'o is the name of this hill top but it was where the Ali'i and even the commoners could gather to discuss matters that affected everyone. This hill top is visible at a distance from almost all angles and it makes sense that people would have been attracted to it. Especially of the Ewa District, as it towers over Pearl Harbor otherwise known as Puuloa then.
Nearby was the House of bones, Kauwalua. This is where a Maui chief, Kalaikoa of Kahekili II's order had a house and a fence constructed entirely of human bones. Some accounts were that he made them from victims of unlucky travelers hijacked while passing through this area. As he had a contingent of soldiers turned robbers under his command that would waylay people off of the Moanalua trails in his district. Some people even went as far as swimming across the mouth of Pearl Harbor just to avoid his traps. Other accounts mention that the remains of conspirators from the Waipio rebellion against Kahekili II. Were placed here as defiance toward the Ewa Chiefs for attempting a coup against Kahekili II. After Elani's body decayed in Waialua, his bones may have been placed here along with Konamanu and Kalakio'onui, and other famed Oahu warriors of that time. A fitting closure to this morbid tale is that Kalaikoa's bones were the final pieces needed to complete the structure. A prophet named Pohaha is accredited with discovering the robbers and their chief. Which lead to their downfall. This area was named after him for a period in time.
This was my first visit during sunset at Ala Puumalu Community Park. With the largest body of water remaining in Salt Lake.
Another trip I did in the afternoon during separate a day with my friend Jorgie. He rode his track bike up this steep incline on a pretty heavy gear ratio that day. I let him rest at the top while I trekked into the bushes to find any type of remains.
I reached a dead end and couldn't approach the exact area pointed out on McAllister's site location.
I found some dislodged stones and a dry drainage opening but nothing remains of the renowned burial mound.
Yet another visit into the same area in the early morning. This time I approached from the eastern side. Next to the new homes built there. The hill top is the shape of a crescent moon and because of the communication towers. The area is gated off and secured. I doubt anyone could get there to take a look around unless approved by the military. Some say the bones were moved to a cemetery nearby. The only one I can recall was covered in an earlier post and is located further east outside of Fort Shafter on Ala Mahamoe St. Behind Sen. Sakamoto's house.
My next site to investigate that morning was a burial cave and heiau named Paliuli. It was to be located on the hillside bordering the Polo fields. Now known as Moanalua Golf Club. I suspected it to be on the same hill that Kaiser Hospital was built on. So I rode to the lowest level in the parking structure and planned to hop over into the stream.
The parking lot is gated off on the bottom floors and I couldn't investigate any further. Maybe one day I'll ask the groundskeepers of the golf course if they have any mo'olelo to share or if they would allow me to take a better look in the stream where the rock structures and cave should be. When McAllister surveyed the area. The burial remains were already tampered with and were said to have been collected and burned. The heiau structure fronting the cave was said to have contained bone fragments within it...
Last week Friday I found myself in Manoa again on my bike and decided to investigate a hill top behind Punahou School. It's now known as Piper's Pali but in the old days it was named Pu'u O' Manoa. This was the hill that marked the separation of chief lands and that of the commoners. I was mistaken in an earlier post and thought it was another hill near Kamanele Park. Pu'u O' Manoa was also the rain boundary of Manoa and any land makai of it is substantially drier than inside the valley. Two children that were said to have abandoned their cruel step mother while their father was off on Hawaii island. Where said to have lived here for a time until they found a cave near the heiau Kukao'o, behind the Cooke home. Now known as the Manoa Heritage Center (I plan to visit it soon but need to make a reservation for the tour). This brother Kauawa'ahila, and sister Kauaki'owao actually represented rain spirits. In which someone knowing the mo'olelo about them could use as a guide to find water sources in the area. Pu'u O' Manoa being just above the spring known as Ka' Punahou. Similarly to that of the older legends of Kane and Kanaloa. In which their travels also contain many stories of waters gushing forth...
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