Oahu's Sacred Grounds Preserve Hawaiian Culture
A Proud Heritage Speaks Today at Kukaniloko, Puu-o-mahuka
Feb 25, 2009
Both of these sites reflect ancient Hawaiians’ intimate relationship with the land. They offer a quiet interlude where moderns can pause and reflect on a distant culture’s core values.
Kukaniloko Birthing Stones Lie at the Heart of Oahu
In a palm grove, surrounded by commercial pineapple fields, lies a cluster of 180 weathered basalt boulders known as the Kukaniloko Birthing Stones. For almost one thousand years the Stones witnessed the ceremonial birthing of generations of royal offspring.
By bearing a son or daughter here, a chiefess conferred on her child the chiefly status called “burning fire.” The last child born here is reputed to be Kamehameha’s son and successor, Liholiho (Kamehameha II), in 1797.
The mother may have used the rocks to support her body as a kind of birthing chair. Many of the rocks bear symbolic markings such as parallel lines.
Kukaniloko is located in Wahiawa, at the end of Whitmore Avenue, just off the Kamehameha Highway. The site faces west toward Mt. Ka’ala, at 4,000 ft. the highest point on the island. Tradition reveres this upland spot as the navel of Oahu. Kukaniloko translates as “the place of rumbling” due to thunder heard during the infrequent lowlands thunderstorms.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1973, the 5-acre parcel came under the aegis of the State of Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources in 1992. Kukaniloko has a sister site, Holoholoku, at Wailua on the island of Kauai.
Echoes of a Tragic Encounter Linger at Puu-o-Mahuka
The largest of several ancient temples, or heiau, commands Waimea Bay from its windswept bluff above the mouth of the Waimea River. It was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1962 and entered into the National Register of Historic Places four years later.
Called Puu-o-mahuka, or “Hill of Escape,” the structure takes up two acres. Stacked rocks delineate terraces and enclosures. Its function resembled that of a fortification and safety zone, with strong walls and roofed shelters built inside.
Warrior priests presided over the Waimea area. Puu-o-mahuka was in use for about two hundred years and, toward the end, provided a venue for human sacrifice to war deities. The story has been passed down about the murder and sacrifice of three seamen of the Vancouver Expedition’s supply ship Daedalus, who in 1793 had gone ashore at Waimea Bay to get fresh water. The authoritative account of the tragedy and the friendly chiefs’ cooperation in apprehending and executing the murderers, can be read in Captain George Vancouver’s account, A Voyage of Discovery to the Pacific Ocean . . ., published in London in 1801, and available through Google Books.
To reach this secluded site on the North Shore, turn onto Pupukea Road opposite the Pupukea fire station, and take a right onto the narrow gravel road that climbs to the temple precinct. Admission is free. The Division of State Parks, which administers the site, requests that visitors view the site from outside the walls to prevent further deterioration caused by foot traffic. Visitors are further admonished not to leave offerings of fruit or ti leaves.
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