Pu'u o Mahuka Heiau State Monument

Infobox_nrhp | name =Puu o Mahuka Heiau
nrhp_type =nhl

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caption = The ruins at the Pu'u o Mahuka Heiau
nearest_city= Haleiwa, Hawaii
locmapin = Hawaii
area =
built =1792
architect=
architecture=
added = October 15, 1966
designated = December 29, 1962cite web|url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=183&ResourceType=Structure
title=Puu O Mahuka Heiau|accessdate=2008-07-04|work=National Historic Landmark summary listing|publisher=National Park Service]
governing_body = State
refnum=66000292cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2007-01-23|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service] On the northern side of Oahu, atop a hill overlooking Waimea Bay and the Waimea valley are the remains of the Pu'u o Mahuka Heiau, which is itself a state monument in Hawaii.

The decision to construct or change a "luakini heiau" was made by the ruler ("mookinai"). A heiau might be built to honor the gods of peace and fertility ("mapele heiau") and could be altered and rededicated to the gods of war ("luakini heiau"). This was a place of great "mana" that was passed from "na akua" to the "kanake maoli". The gods were honored with various hookinaokupu and "pule". These "hookinaokupu" might include banana, taro, pig, and fish. Each November, the rising of the "Makaliokinai" (the Pleiades) can be observed from the heiau. The rising marked the start of the Makahiki season, a time of peace that lasted four months. During this time, this heiau did not function as a "luakini heiau".

While all that remains of the heiau is a rubble area arranged in a rough rectangle [ [http://www.nr.nps.gov/writeups/66000292.nl.pdf NHL Summary] ] , the remains of the walls are considered sacred, and monitored by "Malama Ponu Ka Pookinae".

This may have been the sacrificial site of Captain George Vancouver's men from the HMS Daedalus. [ [http://www.nr.nps.gov/Red%20Books/66000292.red.pdf NPS Red Book] ]

References