The sacred places of Hawaii have religious, historical and cultural significance. They have seen the births of numerous kings and have been the sites of many events throughout the island's history. Many sacred sites include shrines or temples (heiau), petroglyphs (ki'i pohaku), stacked stone (pohaku) and other historical remains. One such site is the Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site in Hawaii.
Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site
The Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site is the location of the last temple built in Hawaii. It symbolizes King Kamehameha I's unification of the islands. According to legend, when Kamehameha I was still working to unite the islands, he went to a prophet to obtain advice from the gods. The prophet told
Wailuku is located in the North East Part of Maui on the border of the peninsula sticking out to the ocean. Wailuku in ancient times was home to many ancient hawaiian rulers including kamehameha (1758 - 1782). In the 19 hundreds Wailuku became the location of the century mission stations and the birthplace of the great sugar industries. I believe this area was chosen because it separates the past two great water supplies. Now it is a beach front and central power area. (20*53’31* N 156*30,8* W) East of The mainland U.S..
When I arrived at the destination of the hearing, many kanakas were circling the building to represent how they are against the idea of the TMT and especially its location. The first and foremost argument was: Mauna Kea is most sacred site in Hawaii tradition and culture. Of the four major islands in the Hawaiian group, tradition states that the highest and most sacred places were located on Maun Wai’ale’ale on Kaua’i; Mauna Ka’ala on Oahu; Mauna Haleakala on Maui; and Mauna Kea on Hawaii. However, because Mauna Kea was the tallest and the highest point throughout Pacific Polynesia, it was considered the most sacred of all. It stood tall over the island of Hawaii and was used to host early Hawaiian traditions such as religion practices, study of the heavens, tool making, meditation source and many more.
In 400 C.E. the Hawaiian islands were settled by Polynesian voyagers.They had each island ruled by different chief’s and conflict was normal for them.At the same time they still had law’s and a class system not influenced by foreigners until captain cook arrived at Kealakekua Bay,hawaii in January,18,1778.But the most important person in Hawaiian history is king Kahmehameha he concord all the islands and became ruler of the whole island chain.Also he was an expert leader, politician,intelligent and caring about his subjects.
Today I arrived at Haleakala National Park to visit for two days. This island is located on the east side of Maui, Haleakala is 33,233 acres. Haleakala means, “House of the Sun” in Hawaiian. Every year Haleakala has over 1.4 million visitors. This year I am one of the lucky visitors to explore this National Park. Made up of a volcano, mountains and beaches this is going to be an adventure so I’m keeping a journal about my adventure at Haleakala National Park. The park is divided into two areas, the summit and coastal Kipahulu area. I will journal about the elevation of the summit and the coastal area Kipahulu.
In the beginning, Hawaii was unknown to any humans. Polynesians eventually came across its islands, and decided to make it their home. In the early days, each island was ruled by a chief, and many times the islands were in conflict with each other. Centuries like this passed, but then "in 1782, [Queen Lili'uokalani's] cousin Kamehameha set out to conquer and unite the islands". Thirteen years later, in 1795, Kamehameha
Hawaii has a very historical and traditionally rooted culture, and the Hokulea is the beginning and the very center of it. Hawaiians were able to develop the islands and mastered the art of living sustainably.
“Sacred Earth” is another name for the beautiful American Samoa. Tafeu Cove, located in American Samoa, is about 2,600 miles southwest of Hawaii. Tafeu Cove has alluring blue waters, beaches, and animals. This amazing national park also has 4,000 acres of land offshore from three separate smaller islands.
The priests lived within the heiau, temples made of lava rock. Priests of various gods and goddesses were the only ones allowed in to the kapu or inner court. A Hawaiian priest had the power of declaring kapu, forbidden acts or land. Hawaiian priests also had the power of choosing victims for human sacrifices. The priests of the gods and goddesses passed down prayers and beliefs through an oral tradition. Often each priest was responsible for flawlessly reciting a certain part of a ceremony.
Kamohoali’i is the largest and most celebrated shark god in Hawaii1,a and is said to be the king of all sharks2,a. His main responsibility is to be the keeper of the Gourd of the Water of life, which has Reviving powers2,a. When Kamohoali’i appears in human form he is said to have hands that are tattooed balck1,a. In his shark form he is said to be 90 feet long and have a mouth as big as a grass house1,a. The Kokala fish is sacred to him1,a. Kamohoali’i is the oldest and most respected of his siblings (e.g. Pele, Hi’iaka) 1,c. He is said to live in the cliff on the northern side of Kilauea and the spot is so sacred to him that the smoke from Kilauea doesn’t come over it1,b, 2b. Alternatively, he is said to live in a Deep pit in the eastern rim of the edge of the world2,a
First, let’s talk about Ise Jingu situated in Japan. It is the largest Shinto shrine located in the city of Ise. Millions of people make their pilgrimage to this shrine for either tourism or religious purposes. It holds a lot of both spiritual and historical value of Japan. Spiritually as the shrine was made in light of the Sun Goddess Amaterasu Omikami, and the traditional progenitor of the imperial Japanese family, later another God Toyaku Okami being another sacred being, being worshipped. (Pletcher) The architectural design of the shrine consists of many rows of buildings but the most distinct are two large huts, being the inner (Naiku) and outer shrine (Geku). (Pletcher) Naiku was first constructed, which had the Goddess of Amaterasu, later Geku with the intention of worshipping Toyaku Okami, the god of food and benevolence. (Pletcher) The shrine is surrounded by a thick forest, which the buildings were made from. Using the essence of nature, or “ke”, the priests and priestesses used the surrounding trees as the buildings blocks of the shrine, as the trees had much devotion and spirituality of the Japanese people.
Spiritualism is a form of worship that believes in both a world of matter and material things, such as people, animals, etc., and a world of spirits or metaphysical beings and happenings. The religion of Hawaii was partially spiritualism and also polytheistic. Polytheism is the belief in many gods. (Imagine) Their gods ruled over the natural occurrences of the world such as the seas, volcanoes, earth, and sky. (Got Religion) One major volcano that was particularly precious to them was Mauna Kea. Mauna Kea was believed to be the place where the sky god met the god of earth; also it was where the other deities met. Basically, Mauna Kea was the Hawaiian Mount Olympus. James "Kimo" Kealii Pihana, a Mauna Kea Ranger mentions that Hawaiians go
shrine. Many churches claimed to possess relics of the burial site of Jesus Christ and of
The sacredness of Mauna Kea goes beyond culture, religion, and spiritual it claims to be the center of the entire Pacific Chain. The mountain Maunakea reminds the Hawaiian people of their ancestors and the connections they have to mother earth. The expression and experience of Aloha Aina is to love all individual,
While she was Queen of Hawaii she often traveled throughout the islands to make sure her people were receiving everything they needed. She and her husband both believed that the Hawaiian government should consist of Hawaiian people not white people. Queen Kapiolani had her coronation on February 12, 1883 at the ‘Iolani Palace. Kalakaua hoped that once day in the future the foreign people leave and the Hawaiian people will be left in peace. Kapiolani did everything she could in her power to help her people. She established the, now called, Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children. This hospital was dedicated to help the Hawaiian mothers and babies. She dedicated her time and energy into this hospital. She even became the first Queen to visit the White House, hooping to bring attention to Hawaii. Queen Kapiolani was so determined that she decided she would never speak English and only speak Hawaiian. Princess Liliuokalani became her interpreter. King Kalakaua loved Queen Kapiolani very much. To show his love for her, he named a 500 acre park after her. Now, the park consists Diamond Head and Honolulu Zoo. The park is also home to many very old banyan trees, and the Kapiolani
The following paper examines the history and religion of the ancient Maori people. It is my belief that exploration of traditional belief systems and ritualistic practices will lead to a greater understanding of the Maori culture in present-day New Zealand. The objective of the paper is to illustrate the Maoris’ unique perception and spiritual connection with their natural environment.