Komo na kahuna i ka hana komo ʻapana. The priests enter to perform their appointed rounds.E heluhelu i keia atikala ma lalo. O makou na mea i hana haipule no na kanaka hana pohaku me na pule akua, pule aumakua, pule pale, pule hoikaika, pule hoomalu, me ka mao ole mai ka hoomaka hana a ka pau hana, i keia me kela la o ka hana pohaku heiau. Read this article below. We are the folks with the prayer duty for the kanaka who do the stonework, with prayers to akua, to aumakua, prayer of warding danger, prayers of strength, prayers of protection, non-stop, from the start of stonework to pau hana, every day of the rock work on the heiau.
MONUMENTAL TASKVolunteers, park rebuilding rich history stone by stoneby Carolyn LucasFriday, March 27, 2009 9:45 AM HSTPuukohola and Mailekini Heiau may be in ruins, but the spirit to rebuild is thriving.Amid the hundreds of stones that lay on the ground, some 30 volunteers, led by the National Park Service and its partner group, Na Papa Kanaka o Puukohola, are turning disaster into an opportunity.Hawaiian men are learning traditional dry-stack masonry, perpetuating their culture as they restore its history. They participated in the third of six restoration workshops offered this year at Puukohola Heiau National Historic Site."This is more than a job. With each action, they are putting their mana (divine power) into rebuilding the heiau and honoring the handiwork of their ancestors," said Daniel Kawaiaea Jr., Puukohola Heiau National Historic Site superintendent. "Besides the hard work, sweat and tears, they feel ownership of this site. There's also a willingness to learn how these heiau are built, so they can pass this valuable knowledge to their children and grandchildren, as well as be prepared for when the next earthquake strikes."A magnitude 6.7 earthquake on Oct. 15, 2006, severely damaged the heiau, which sits on a hill overlooking Kawaihae Harbor, Maui and the Kohala Coast, as well as nearby Mailekini Heiau. Puukohola Heiau's northern and eastern walls had extensive damage -- bulges, settling, slides, indentations, cracks and overturned rocks. Mailekini Heiau lost walls on the north, east and center.Puukohola Heiau was built in 1790 and 1791 by Kamehameha I, then a regional ruler struggling for control of the Big Island. Kamehameha sought the advice of a powerful prophet, who proclaimed Kamehameha would conquer all the islands if he built a large heiau and dedicated it to his family war god, Kukailimoku, atop the whale-shaped hill at Kawaihae.The 224-foot-by-100-foot heiau with 16- to 20-foot-high walls was constructed with rounded, water-worn lava rocks, some weighing more than 100 pounds.It is believed the stones came from Pololu Valley, and that thousands of men formed a human chain at least 20 miles long, passing the stones by hand to the hill to be stacked.Mailekini Heiau, built by one of the district's ruling chiefs, was possibly used as a war or agricultural temple by the ancestors of Kamehameha I. It was believed that the heiau was converted into a fort with cannons.The National Park Service received about $6 million to repair these heiau, as well as the home site of John Young, Kamehameha's British adviser, along with a farm enclosure near Puukohola Heiau National Historic Site headquarters, a maintenance building and the visitor center, which also had damage.In 2007, park service crews began repairs and were later assisted by volunteers participating in workshops. The monumental task should be finished by August 2010. After this weekend, it will be about a third done, Kawaiaea Jr. said.Master builder and consultant Francis Sinenci has also worked on the restoration and preservation of Piilanihale Heiau on Maui. Said to be the largest temple in Hawaii, it covers more area than a football field and stands about 40 feet high.Sinenci has more than 15 years of experience. Still, putting sites like Puukohola and Mailekini Heiau back together without the use of mortar is no small feat. Every rock must interlock with the stones around it. No rock is left behind.Maui residents Moke Lono and Jonah Kapu volunteered because of their roots connecting them to the Puukohola Heiau National Historic Site. Both feel a responsibility to restore these sacred places. They call the experience a rush and honor, one in which they felt the presence of their ancestors.
L to R: Kuʻuhoamele, ʻOhukaniʻōhiʻa, me Kaponoʻai preside over pule duty at a previous repair session on neighboring Puʻu Koholā heiau. -During Thursday's work of Mailekini Heiau, kahuna, or spiritual advisers, said prayers and chants, intended to protect the men as they diligently worked, as well as honor the intertwining spirit and power at the site. Standing in the heiau and witnessing the rebuilding was incredibly moving for Aʻiaʻi Bello of Nā Waʻa Lālani Kāhuna o Puʻu Koholā."We're reawakening inside and becoming whole again," she said. "This is reminding us who we are."For more information or to get involved, call 882-7218 or visit http://www.nps.gov/puhe.Read the full article here
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