In ancient Hawaii, life was focused on appeasing the gods. Prayer was an important and essential part of life, utilized whenever important events occurred, such as making a canoe or building a house. As such, many sorts of temples populated the different islands. Each temple had a focus, whether it was farming, fishing, health, peace or war. Formalized worship was held in the heiau by both Chiefs and groups of common people, for example, fishermen in hopes of gaining favorable attention by the gods.

Heiau structures ranged from simple one building structures surrounded by humble wooden fences to large walled enclosures housing many buildings to enormous open-air buildings complete with terraces, carved idols and large stone platforms. It was in these larger temples that ruling chiefs often paid their homage to major Hawaiian deities, and it is these larger, stone temples that have survived over hundreds of years and can still be seen today.

The god Lono, most closely associated with agriculture, rainfall and fertility, was worshiped in the mapele heiau where offerings of vegetables, pigs and bark cloth known as tapa - were given, in hopes of agricultural plenty and guaranteed rainfall.

Kuka'ilimoku, a more demanding god, was worshiped in the luakini heiau, a large sacrificial war temple. The god Ku required human sacrifices in times of war, when success in battle was paramount, or during times of famine or pestilence. He was also known as "Ku Eater of Islands". The luakini temples belonged to the King, even though the mapele heiau were where the Kings prayed most frequently.

While higher-ranking chiefs and priests were allowed to build farming temples, whose ceremonial occasions were accessible to all battle temples which were dedicated to the great god Ku could only be utilized by the king, the Ku priesthood and the highest ranking chiefs. It was considered treasonous for anyone else to dedicate a war temple. Because human sacrifice was considered the ultimate type of offering only the high chief was allowed to undertake those rituals.

It was a major undertaking for a king to build a heiau. Two major rituals were used, one for Ku and the other for Lono. The Ku ritual, or oolea, was very stressful. The priests who performed this rite outranked others and were held above other priests. Though most often referred to as the Priests of the Order of Ku they are also known as Priests of Kanalu, who was said to be their first priestly ancestor. Either way, both of these names were titles of the greatest distinction. The Lono rituals were milder and their priests of the order of mo'o Lono were also known as the priests of the order of Paliku.

On the Big Island stands one of the few heiau remaining today: Pu'ukohola Heiau. This heiau was built in honor of Ku and required a massive collection of commoners, men and women and children, as well as chiefs to complete. It was believed that each time a rival chief was sacrificed in this temple, the god Ku was pleased. As a result, there were many, many human sacrifices performed at Pu'ukohola Heiau.

Also on the Big Island is another heiau, this one dedicated to the god Lono, which was once the personal heiau of Kamehameha I who first conquered the islands of Hawaii and established the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1810. This heiau is located at the King Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel but during the day is open to the public. Here you will find carved idols decorating the area, the highest one upon which perches a golden plover. It was believed that the plover first led Polynesians to Hawaii.

On the island of Kauai stands the Hikinaakala heiau. It was built somewhere around 1300 AD and its name means 'rising of the sun'. This heiau was primarily used to welcome in the dawn by way of prayer. This heiau is also associated with health and healing.

One of the very oldest heiaus is also located on Kauai. This is the Poli'ahu heiau and is thought to have been one of the sacrificial temples. This impressive heiau has stone walls and a paved floor. The goddess Poli'ahu is one of the four goddesses of snow and was the lover of Aiwohikupua. Legend has it that when she found that Aiwohikupua was already engaged to a Maui princess, Poli'ahu cursed her, chilling her and then turning that cold into heat. The princess, overcome by the goddess, left Aiwohikupua but Poli'ahu was unforgiving and froze him to death. It is also said that Poli'ahu was one of Hawaii's most beautiful goddesses.

One of the last heiau built was the Halulu heiau. It is said that this particular heiau was built upon King Kamehameha's favorite fishing spot on Lanai. Just a few years after this temple was built the missionaries arrived. This heiau is only accessible by 4-wheeled vehicle. It is situated near Kahekili's Leap which is where King Kamehameha's bravest warriors would prove themselves by taking the 80 foot plunge into the ocean below.

So few heiau remain today because Queen Kaahumanu decided to burn down every heiau in Hawaii. Most of the heiau remaining, therefore, are the larger stone structures that were once dedicated to Ku. Some of these have been restored, but many are slowly deteriorating. It is very important to Hawaiians that visitors coming to see the heiau remember that these are ancient places of worship and to be respectful of these structures which have been in existence for hundreds of years.

These heiau remain a very important part of Hawaiian heritage to this day and they are marked as both highly religious and historical areas. In many places it is illegal to enter a heiau and it is considered taboo to remove stones or rocks as memorabilia from any of the heiau around the islands as both of these actions are thought to disturb the spirits of the temple. There are often significant fines applied to anyone attempting to steal or damage any part of a heiau.

Many visitors bring gifts or offerings when visiting these sacred places, and quite a few people have claimed to experience a surge of energy while visiting a heiau. Visitors are welcomed and encouraged to pay homage at the heiaus but please remember that they play a significant role in the history of the area and visitors should remain respectful.

All content protected by Walton Internet Law - Copyright strictly enforced - Do not reproduce without prior written permission