This feature and the others dealing with the Hawai'ian Islands were contributed by Polaris and his sons, Ash and Coyote. Although not offficially OCE investigations, this information is offered as part of the team's look at the mysteries of the South Pacific. The entire Hawai’ian island chain is a science project in progress, a living laboratory of how the Earth manufactures, populates and ultimately destroys islands. Hawai’i is the biggest and newest island in the chain. In fact, the constant volcanism and resulting lava flows are adding about 8 acres of new land to the island each year.

The northern islands – Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Oah’u and Kaua’i – are no longer volcanic and are considered "middle aged" by geologists. Even further north are the remains of "old" islands, sunken outcrops still surrounded by the coral reefs that once marked their perimeter. Such formations are called atolls and the Kure Atoll at the far northwest end of the Hawai’ian chain presages the future of all the islands.



PU'UHONUA O HONAUNAU: One of the most interesting and picturesque areas on the Big Island is called Pu’uhonua o Honaunau, which translates to "place of refuge." The one hundred and eighty acre compound on the west shore of Hawai’i. It was the home of both the ruling chief (called an ali’i) and a place of sanctuary for those who had violated the sacred laws called kapu or were fleeing from their enemies during times of war. Its very existence grew out of the Hawai’ian kapuna system, an intricate set of laws and taboos which if broken could mean a swift death. Pu’uhonua o Honaunau was one of only a handful of sacred refuges on the islands, and it was often difficult to reach. The ne’er-do-well had to travel on foot, usually with well-armed warriors hot on his trail. The fact that so few violators made it to the refuges helped underscore the power of the Hawai’ian chieftains and their ability to uphold the kapuna system. The refuges also provided sanctuary and cleansing for warriors fleeing from their enemies after a battle. Regardless of their tribe, gender, class or crime, if the person reached the refuge they could be ceremonially cleansed of all wrongdoing and return to their normal lives in a matter of days.

Hale o Keawe Heiau is the principle sacred site of the area and was designed to preserve the mana (spiritual power) of the ancient chiefs and their descendants. Different areas of the refuge were dedicated to different gods over the years. Hale o Keawe Heiau was constructed in 1650 and has been restored by the National Park Service to its previous appearance. It is still used by Hawai’ians who practice the traditional island religion.

The site was dedicated to Keawe’ikekahiali’I o kamoku, the great-grandfather of Kamehameha I. When the old man passed away, his bones were interred here, imbuing the site with his spiritual force called "mana." It was this magical force that gave the priests their power to wash away the transgressions of the kapu-breakers. The other similar temples were called ‘Ale’ale’a Heiau and "The Old Heiau," the latter being so ancient that its name is now long forgotten and its foundation little more that a pile of ocean-tossed rubble. The entire compound where all three heiau are located is enclosed by a great wall that was constructed in 1550 in order to separate the sanctuary from the royal grounds next door.

In 1819, Kamehameha II, the son of the famous war chief, abolished the kapu system and opened Hawai’i’s doors to Christian missionaries. As a result, Pu’uhonua o Honaunau was abandoned virtually overnight. It remained that way for over a century until the land was set aside as a county park and eventually a national historical park.

PUUKOHOLA HEIAU: Located on the northwestern coast of Hawai’i, this sacred compound overlooks the Pelekane Bay. Its name translates to "whale hill." The ruins here span centuries of Hawai’ian culture with the largest and most impressive having been built by King Kamehameha I in 1790-91. The all-stone structure has walls measuring as high as 20 feet. Kamehameha I created the altar in response to a local "seer" who prophesied that the great king would conquer and unify all the Hawai’ian islands if he completed the heiau. (The prophesy was eventually realized and marked the height of Kamehameha’s 77-year dynasty.) A human line thirty miles long was utilized to transport the stones, none of which were cut to fit into the foundation. A similar, older and smaller heiau lies below the Kamehameha I structure.

There is a third, equally intriguing temple in the area, although its remains are no longer visible to visitors. The structure is know as Hale o Kapuni Helau and was dedicated to the shark deities by a Hawai’ian chief who believed his ancestors could assume the shape of sharks. The position of the temple is not exactly known as the foundations are now submerged beneath the blue waters of Pelekane Bay. However, a roughly circular outline could be seen in the northern corner of the bay up until the 1950s, and it was assumed that this was the heiau’s crumbling walls. The choice of bay for this unusual temple is also notable. Although sharks generally avoid shallow water during the bright sunlit hours, they are frequent visitors to this inlet at all times of day and night. In fact, signs posted along the beach warn guests not to enter the water due to the inherent danger. One wonders if the ancient king helped to condition the animals into visiting the area by erecting the temple and then stocking it with edible "offerings." Although it is unclear what kind of tribute the dangerous fish fed on, human sacrifice was a common occurrence at the other temples on this site.

Pelekane was also a royal compound that a kapu prevented most Hawai’ians from entering. It was here, among these beautiful groves that King Kamehameha I’s greatest rival, Keoua, was murdered in 1791, thereby clearing the way for the great war chief’s claim to all the Hawai’ian islands.

MAUNA LOA VOLCANO: Hawai’i’s active and most famous volcano is said to be home of the ancient diety Pele. According to native legend, this fiery goddess has jumped from island home to island home, following the active volcanoes from Kaua’I to the Big Island. Interestingly, this is in keeping with geologic fact as the northern islands in the Hawai’ian chain were also the first to spring from the ocean in volcanic eruptions. Today, Pele is said to make her lodgings in the 280-foot-deep pit called Halemáumáu in the center of the Kilauea Crater. The pit last belched up lava in an impressive display in 1982.

Visitors to Mauna Loa frequently report seeing Pele’s form, whether it is an ethereal womanlike image caught on film in the smoke rising from the crater (several such photographs are on display at Volcano House Lodge in the Hawai’I Volcanoes National Park); or strange encounters with her on the roadside or on the numerous hiking trails around the park. Many have described her as an old woman, dressed in a red voluminous dress known as a muumuu and accompanied by a small white dog. Her roadside visitations sound similar to a common urban legend known as the "vanishing hitchhiker" in which the old woman is picked up by good-hearted passersby who are later astonished to find that she has vanished from their back seat.

The park service also warns about taking volcanic rock or other "souvenirs" from the volcano, as this will incur tremendous bad luck. It is said that hundreds of pounds of looted rock are returned to the park each year, often accompanied by written pleas to the park rangers to return the stone and relieve the sender of their spate of ill fortune. Pele’s vengeful nature often extends beyond the island shores. Legend tells that Charles Bishop, a prominent resident of the islands who founded the world-famous Bishop Museum in Honolulu, was stalked by Pele when he left Hawai’I for San Francisco. Her rage resulted in the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906.

Hawai’ians practicing the old religion frequently leave offerings for the goddess on the crater’s edge, ranging from chickens to alcohol. Their ancestors did likewise, but usually in the form of human sacrifice.

THE LEGENDARY ARRIVAL AND GRUESOME DEMISE OF CAPTAIN COOK: In 1778, Hawai’ians living on the island of Kaua’i began to gather on the beaches, watching with excitement and fear as two white objects, looking like giant birds’ wings, grew larger and larger on the horizon. With tremendous awe, the natives watched as two British ships made landfall on Waimea, on the west coast of the island. The chiefs and priests hurried down to the beach to greet the strange vessels, and found themselves face-to-face with a landing party of tall, light-skinned men. The natives welcomed the men of the HMS Resolution and HMS Discovery, commanded by Capt. James Cook.

From the beginning, Cook was conscious and careful of maintaining good relationships with the Hawai’ians. The British traded for local plants, seeds and salt. Cook posted strict orders about fraternizing with the natives, partially to prevent the islanders from being devastated by foreign diseases like syphilis and gonorrhea. His good intentions were only partially successful.

Cook left the islands the following month to renew his search for the fabled Northwest Passage. He returned to Hawai’i in November, this time landing in Kealakekua Bay on the Big Island. The natives were in the midst of the makahiki celebration, an island-wide tribute to the god Lonoika-makahiki whom, it was foretold, would one day return to the islands during this festival. Legend told that Lonoika-makahiki was a pale-skinned being whose divine symbol looked not unlike the sails on the British ships. The Hawai’ian king Kalaniopu’u was certain that Cook was the god returning to them, and nearly 10,000 of his subjects turned out to catch a glimpse of the visitors. The British spent two weeks enjoying Hawai’ian hospitality and preparing from their journey to Asia. But only three days after leaving Hawai’i, Cook’s ships were badly damaged in a storm and had to return for repairs.

Cook found Kealakekua Bay virtually deserted. Unbeknownst to Cook and his men, Kalaniopu’u had proclaimed a kapu on the bay. The Hawai’ians who were present found it hard to reconcile Cook’s apparent divinity with his violation of the sacred taboo and the fact that his ships were so badly damaged by the natural forces he was supposed to command. With their sense of awe obliterated, they began to freely steal from the British and were successful in absconding with the cutter from the Discovery. Cook’s plan to recover the boat was his most ill conceived notion during his time in the islands, and it would ultimately seal his fate.

The captain went ashore with a small company of marines with the intention of capturing Kalaniopu’u and holding him hostage until the cutter was returned. But the abduction took a bad turn when two hundred Hawai’ians came to their king’s aid. Only half of the landing party survived – and Cook was not among them.

A delegation of Hawai’ians later returned Cook’s body, or at least what was left of it. James King, Cook’s second lieutenant, described the pieces that were returned in his ship’s log:

"…the captain’s hands (which were well known from a remarkable cut), the scalp, the skull, wanting the lower jaw, thigh bones and arm bone; the ands only had flesh on them, and were cut in holes, and salt crammed in; the leg bones, lower jaw and feet, which were all that remained and had escaped the fire, he said were dispersed among other chiefs."

[For additional information on cannibalism in the South Pacific, see the following: Among the Headhunters | Who Ate Jean-Francois?]

Today, there is a beachside monument at the spot where Cook fell. The tiny locale has the distinction of being the property of the United Kingdom; one of the few areas of the United States so designated. The monument is not well marked and must be reached on foot or by packhorse, a journey that takes about four hours to complete. What’s more, Cook is no longer buried on Kealakekua Bay, having been returned (probably in a shoebox from the sounds of it) to his native England years ago. So, unless you are a die-hard Capt. Cook fan, or just really interested in grisly murder stories, you might want to skip the monument and continue down the highway to Pu’uhonua o honaunau.

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