Kukaniloko During The Winter Solstice

This past Saturday marked the winter solstice. There were some assumptions going around that there would be a significant alignment of the sun at Kukaniloko, on one of the stones. I woke up early and raced the sunrise in the morning, expecting a gathering already there. I got there and no one else was there. I was hyping it up on my social media accounts. So my good friend Kawika rolled in on his new cyclocross bike at around the same time.

The morning dew was everywhere and it made the visit even more amazing. Even though we were off schedule of any Hawaiian gathering besides Kawika, my wife, and I.

Even the moon was still out and about.

A baby loulu plant must have been added by the care takers recently. Along with a few other varieties of local fauna.

Here is one of the bowl shaped water collectors doing it's thing. Suggested to be used for star watching during ancient lessons of navigation...

Here is the pohaku that represents the island of Oahu.

A closer look at the center of the Oahu pohaku reveals etchings that may have had a deeper significance. Possibly marking Kukaniloko as the piko of the island...

The view northwest from the Oahu stone looking at the Waianae range in the foreground, that the humps on the stone coincide with. 

The piko 

The Birthing Stone.

Puu Palaoa...

The egde on this pohaku reminds me of Haiku Valley's north ridge...

The rest of the morning consisted of me trying to find things on other pohaku that I may not have noticed on my earlier visits.

The head of the canoe...

After checking out Kawika's new bike. We both said aloha and went back to our daily duties. He went back to his newborn daughter Sadie Mahealani Samson. I went to watch cyclocross at CORP Park and then went to work...

After work I decided to head back to Kukaniloko and see if the sunset had any significance instead.

When I arrived I was surprised to see Kawika on his bike again. He just beat me into the driveway leading into Kukaniloko. Tom Lenchanko was just leaving with his lawnmower. I got to introduce myself to him and shake his hand. He's possibly the the forerunner and most knowledgeable person to know about the purpose of Kukaniloko and the ancient district of Lihue on Oahu. I was also surprised (not really) to see my Kumu at Olelo Hawaii class on Thursday, Kaipo'i. With his friends, all very knowledgeable sharing stories. Kawika was already eavesdropping, as he got in on bike faster than I could walk in. I was lucky enough to catch a few things...

Kaipo'i's friend mentioned that there are notches nicked off of some of the stones there by "us"( I love how he said us, like the ancient and present day are one and the same. Especially here in the piko of everything). It may have marked different alignments of the sun. This notch on the image above is on the puu palaoa pohaku. When the sun is just at the equator, it's shadow should lines up with the piko petroglyph in the center. On the summer solstice the sun should rise at a certain point on the Koolau range and then pass between the two large pohaku at the modern entrance to Kukaniloko (in the first image of this post), pass through this pohaku and then continue across the island to a point on the Waianae range...

Kaipo'i on the left and his crew.

here is another notch that was chipped off and could mark an alignment...

Kaipo'i sharing the creation theory of the spider, that enumerates itself within the Hawaiian language. As well as many other island societies near the equator and within Polynesia. A spider that sparked the idea of ocean life with it's web and then far voyages chasing it's path across the stars. If the whale took us north and south. Then the spider took us across the equator. east and west. Maybe someday I will be eloquent enough to share it with others as well...

The following images are of the moment of the sunset on the winter solstice. The sun's rays illuminate a one dimensional image of a woman on the northern side of Kolekole pass in the right side of the images. She is laying down facing the sky. The first peak to the right of the sunset is her hair bun, as Jo-Lin exclaimed. Fashioned like that of the one Liliha was wearing in a painting with her and Boki. The next closely gathered peaks are her face. Then the mountain slopes down her neck and rises just slightly to form her Palaoa Lei Niho and then further down, her breasts. Finally the mountain view rises to form her pregnant opu...

Looking east toward our exit after the sunset. I was fortunate enough to reacquaint myself with Jo-Lin Lenchanko. I had met her earlier this year during the Onipa'a event at Iolani Palace. If you wish to help with the Wahiawa Civic Club and Kukaniloko, shoot her an email on their page. Or simply go and visit this iconic place any day of the year. Share what you have learned and dispel the false ideas of others that come here respectfully....