Pu'ukohlā Heiau

A prophecy by the famous seer Kapoykahi told Kamehameha to build a heiau on Pu'ukoholā, the "hill of the whale," dedicate it to his war god, and he would rule the islands. In response, Kamehameha began building the heiau, or temple, in 1790. Workers carefully set tons of water-worn lava rock in place without mortar, and Kamehameha labored with them. Only his brother was excused because he would preside over the dedication rituals at Pu'ukeholā Heiau and had to remain ceremonially clean. To please the war god, the heiau had to be ritually perfect. By the summer of 1791, it was complete. Soon Kamehameha ruled Hawai'i, then Maui, Lāna'i, Moloka'i, and O'ahu. When he added Kaua'i through peaceful negotiations in 1810, the prophecy was fulfilled and Kamehameha the Great ruled all of the Hawaiian Islands. Pu'ukeholā Heiau still holds great significance to many native Hawaiians, and only native Hawaiians exercising traditional religious practices may enter the temple.

Puako, Hawaii · United States