Archeological Sites at Kawela

Kawela on Molokaʻi’s south coast preserves a wide group of archaeological sites linked to ancient land use, ritual, refuge, and conflict. The area, named for an old Hawaiian ahupuaʻa meaning “the heat,” includes a heiau on a ridge between the forks of Kawela Gulch and is associated with a puʻuhonua where the soldiers of Kapiʻioho o Kalani reportedly fled after a battle around 1737. Kawela also figured in the 1795 campaigns following Kamehameha I’s conquest of Maui. Later absorbed into Molokaʻi Ranch, the area was surveyed archaeologically in the 1970s, and wetlands and an ancient fishpond were preserved after subdivision plans began in 1980.

Kaunakakai, Hawaii · United States