Hawaiian Adventure Part 6: Sacred Places

Pu'uhonua o Honaunau heiau, a place of refuge.

Heiaus (hay-ows) are sacred places used as temples by ancient Hawaiians.  Most were comprised of large stone platforms with structures built on top of them.  These structures housed priests, sacred items, and idols representing gods.  Within the lava-walled areas, the kahuna or high priest worshiped, making offerings that included food and sometimes human sacrifices.  Although many heiaus were deliberately destroyed when the traditional religion and kapu (taboo) system were abolished more than 150 years ago, others have been restored or are now protected for their cultural significance. 

Heiaus served different purposes:  some were used to treat the sick, known as healing heiaus.  Others provided meditation and prayer sanctuaries where the kahuna asked the gods for victory in war or success in raising crops or fishing.  A few heiaus were places of refuge.  Tabu-breakers could avoid certain death by fleeing to these places.  Those defeated by or victims of war could also find sanctuary at the pu'uhonua.

The historic site's grounds.

We visited one such heiau on the Big Island, Pu'uhonua Honaunau, now protected as a national historical site by the National Park Service.  Pu'uhonua Honaunau once housed the bones of Hawaiian ali'i or nobility, including a son of Kamehameha I.  The Hawaiians believed that the mana or spiritual power of the bones imparted special protection to this "city of refuge."

The site is an absolute gem and shouldn't be missed by any visitor to the Big Island.  Not only is there a walking trail to and around the heiau accompanied by a cell-phone audio tour, there are also demonstrations by locals in Hawaiian arts such as cloth-making and lauhala weaving.