Kawa'ewa'e Heiau

Yesterday morning I finally took a drive out to Kaneohe to visit Kawa'ewa'e Heiau. It is said to have been built by Olopana in the 12th century. Along with four other heiau on this side of the island.

 Olopana was a ruling chief on Oahu. A grandchild from the line of Maweke from Kahiki. These were during the times when Hawaii and the south pacific islands were more closely linked. As these expert navigators subdued the Pacific and claimed glory and land by their undaunted travels across vast distances.  

Maweke arrived in Hawaii first. He had three sons. Muli'eleali'i, the eldest inherited Maweke's lands on the Kona side of Oahu. Keaunui lived in the Waianae/Ewa district, and Kalehenui lived in the Waialua/Koolau district (keep in mind that solid divisions of land were not yet firmly established. I am simply relating to which area they would have been in at).

Muli'eleali'i would have three sons of his own. Kumuhonua, Mo'ikeha, and Olopana. Kumuhonua, like his father was the eldest and inherited his father's lands and rank. Mo'ikeha and Olopana seem to have been fed up by this and left the island for some time. Some stories say that they attacked their brother. Some that they went back to ocean journeying. Mo'ikeha is even said to have traveled back to Kahiki and then finally returning and settling in Kauai. Where he inherits that island from his wife's side of the family and the following rulers of Kauai will claim descent from him. Mo'ikeha's sons and family travel to the other Hawaiian islands to make their homes and so is how the ancient royal families are all connected.

Olopana is said to have went to Waipio, where the ancient capitol of Hawaii island was located for generations to come until Umi relocated to Kona, and then the Kahuna from Tahiti, Pa'ao would bring new royal blood from across the Pacific in the second migration.

Olopana somehow ends up on the Koolau side of Oahu in his later years and is accredited with building five heiau in the district.

Atop a small knoll on the bottom of the ridge that separates Kaneohe and Kailua is Kawa'ewa'e Heiau.

The opening of the trail to the ridge passes a few large pohaku that seem to keep guard of the path ahead.

I parked and asked a man standing outside if he ever heard of the heiau. He had but never chose to take a look at it ever since living nearby since the 70's. He was told that it was around a slope that rose from behind his house. He wasn't a believer though as he mentioned that through descriptions told to him by people that saw it. He surmised that it was an old cattle pen. McAllister even mentions that the only thing that didn't physically incline him to think it was a pen was because it had no opening in the walls.

After walking through what seemed to be a nice little camp ground complete with a fire place and benches made from fallen trees. I found a corner of the heiau emerge from the overgrowth on the hill...

Here is the southeast corner that came into view first. McAllister scales this heiau at 120' by 253' with walls about 5' wide and varying in heights from 4' to 7' depending on the contour of the land. All of which seem spot on for Kawa'ewa'e Heiau during my visit. I could not located the south west wall under the overgrowth. But while taking a look at his diagram I realized that it was lower down the hill, and the opening to the sea are usually more gradual for heiau function.

Someone or some group of people are clearing the overgrowth just outside of the heiau's highest wall.

The interior of the heiau is covered in a shorter overgrowth that isn't as bad as the outside. But I wasn't about to blindly go walking around inside it on my own.

 Sadly some of the wall looks to have rolled down the hill. Some shifts seem to have taken place in the past and some look almost recent...

]

Here is the highest wall overlooking the Pohai Nani retirement home.

I myself cannot accept that this is simply a cattle pen. Almost all of the stones used for the walls are uniformly the same size. Some have interlocking notches broken into them and I also found smaller ili ili stones filling and leveling the spaces between the larger stones.

After I felt satisfied with the amount of what crappy picture taking ability I have. I did my traditional mana tower hands in the air gesture. As I lowered my arms looking back mauka toward the Pali. I noticed that the Pali Puka almost looks like it is directly aimed at this heiau...

Olopana is said have met his fate here by the demigod Kamapua'a. Olopana had no hope of beating Kamapua'a at battle. So Olopana's Kahuna, Malae devised a way to trap Kamapua'a by using offerings of meat. Kamapua'a is told of in legends as being able to transform into his pig form. He even is accredited with growing very large and carving out large sections of stone with his body. In order to pursue people or evade them. This trick of Malae somehow worked and Kamapua'a was bound in Waianae and taken to be sacrificed here at Kawa'ewa'e Heiau. All myth aside, Kamapua'a had aid from Kahuna on his side through Lonoaohi. Whowas also captured with him. Lonoaohi devised his own way to save Kamapua'a by informing his captures that they should not harm Kamapua'a in anyway so that at the time of sacrifice it will be pure. His captures were left behind by a weary Olopana and at Pahoa they planned to gather stone azde daggers ( the meaning of Pahoa is dagger) and cut Kamapua'a open and gut him. So that he'd be lighter to carry to Olopana. Luckily Lonoaohi's messengers reached them before they did so. They agreed and ditched the dagger idea.

When Kamapua'a was finally tied up along with his Kahuna Lonoaohi at Kawa'ewa'e. They slept and were t be sacrificed the next day. While everyone was sleeping Lonoaohi freed himself. Sometimes said with the help of praying to his god. Lonoaohi freed Kamapua'a and set a pig on the alter to burn. Olopana was tricked to think that the sacrifice had already happened and was caught by surprise by a freed and empowered Kamapua'a. He ended up killing Olopana and Malae. Kamapua'a then took over rule for some time and gave the watered lands of the island of Oahu to the Kahuna class that Lonoaohi was from. Lonoaohi is actually said to have been the last Kahuna of Kawa'ewa'e Heiau. Kamapua'a's family did not agree with his giving of all of the watered lands. But in time the generations to follow would find this was a very good consummation that would shape the dealings of the land and the cooperation of the Kahuna and Ali'i class.

Update: This Olopana may have shared the name of Olopana of Maweke. But may have lived generations later also as a ruling chief on Oahu...

Kukaniloko During the Vernal Equinox

Our regular Thursday night, Olelo Hawaii Class with Kaipo'i. Took a field trip to Kukaniloko to observe the sunset during the spring equinox. I got there a little late after I finished work and just missed the sun as it set a bit earlier behind the clouds. Instead of on the horizon atop the Waianae mountian range. Of which I thought I still had time to catch.

All of these images were taken and shared with me via Apple's Airdrop (yeah he's very tech savvy) by "Ola", Keola Naka'ahiki-Rapazo of FITTEDHI. He was there with his family, and our fellow classmates. While Kaipo'i shared some mo'olelo of the area and it's importance to the Hawaiian people in so many ways.

We have been learning about the, "He Mo'olelo no Kaneho'owa'a".  Kamehameha The Great's navigator Kaneho'owa'a. Has an interesting illustration linking in the dualism of the ipu gourd with navigation. By using a gourd with lines and points on it like a classroom globe. We have already learned that there were already names for the equator as well as the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn used by ancient navigators of Polynesia. Now here at Kukaniloko they present themselves at the peaks of the Waianae Range.

On this day he shared another mo'olelo delving deeper into the gourd theory. As the gourd opens to fill the sky with stars. The stars become clusters with their own houses in different locations in the sky that one must know by heart. The pulp of the gourd can become paper used for writing and sharing knowledge... (you had to be there, the Hawaiian version is much more eloquent. I have a copy of it if anyone is interested)

On this day, the sunset touched at the peak of Mount Ka'ala. As opposed to the sunset during Winter Solstice 

in my previous post. In 90 days, during the summer solstice. The sun will set furthest north at the end of the range in Mokuleia. Before making it's way back south again. As it did for all eternity that man can try to comprehend here on this island. 

Somehow, our ancient ancestors figured this out and calculated that this exact spot was to be the center of traditional life in Hawaii. All generations that followed would deem this place very important. Kaipo'i related it to a collage for training the next 

generation about such things as navigation.

Births of high ranking chiefs were another use of this sacred place here in the district of Lihue on Oahu. If everything was done accordingly. All customs associated with the area were followed to the very last detail. Mother and child would then be disconnected at Ho'olonopahu Heiau, and the drums of Opuku and Hawea would be heard throughout the plain of Wahiawa. The mother would secure the highest kapu for her child. The child would be of the Lo Ali'i class. The sacred high kapu royalty that lived in seclusion unless a position in the kingdom called for someone of high ranking. 

I asked Kaipo'i about the name Kukaniloko and why it was carried on to a female ruler that ruled Oahu around the 1580-1600's. She was a descendant of the Maweke line of Oahu through Mo'ikeha. After Haka's failed ruling from the Kumuhonua/Maweke line. Ma'ilikukahi became ruler and through two generations she inherited the kingdom. In two more generations her line would produce Kakuhihewa. Although by far, she was not the first to be born there or the last.

Kaipo'i  blew my mind when he told me Kukaniloko was a twin! Kepalaoa was he sister. If you can relate Kukaniloko to the mountain as her outline is defined from the view point of the birthing stones. Then Kepalaoa is represented by the piko stone. Which also looks like a whale! This is mind blowing stuff here right?! Kaipo'i related the circles that make the piko petroglyph. To also symbolize the scars seen on a whale when they fight with squid in the depths of the ocean!

I'm just going to stop here and let you enjoy Ola's pics. Also try to form your own conclusion to what that green ball of light is...

Did you enjoy that? I welcome you to try to view the sunset during any equinox and see what you can find for your own understanding. I'm still kicking myself for not making it in time for this years sunset. I will be returning here for the rest of my my so I am content. The following are pics that I took myself of some of the interesting people that we have at our class. That share similar paths to understanding our wonderful Hawaiian culture.

Notches in the center of the stone that looks like Oahu. What do they represent???