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Ulu Po Heiau
State Monument
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PHOTOS |
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Click on a thumbnail to
see a larger version of the photo |
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OVERVIEW |
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It's 1750.
Kailua is the political seat of power for
the district of Ko'olaupoko and a favored
place of the O'ahu chiefs for its abundance
of fish and good canoe landings. The houses
of the ali'i (chiefs), their families, and
their attendants surround Kailua Bay. Behind
the sand beach is the large, fertile expanse
of Kawai Nui which has been converted to a
fishpond surrounded by an agricultural
fieldsystem. Kawai Nui is a large, 400 acre
fishpond with an abundance of mullet, awa,
and o'opu. Ka'elepulu and Nu'upia fishponds
are nearby. The maka'ainana (commoners)
provide support for this chiefly residence.
Farmers grow kalo (taro) in the irrigated
lo'i (fields) along the streams from
Maunawili and along the edges of the
fishponds. Crops of dryland kalo, banana,
sweet potato, and sugarcane mark the fringes
of the marsh. The fishermen harvest fish
from the fishponds and the sea. The kahuna
(priests) oversee the religious ceremonies
and rites at several heiau around Kawai Nui.
There is Ulupo Heiau on the east with
Pahukini Heiau and Holomakani Heiau on the
west side.
Hauwahine, the mo'o or guardian spirit,
protects the people of Kawai Nui and assures
an abundance of fish. The legendary
association of Ulupo Heiau with the menehune
suggests the antiquity of this site. The
massiveness and quantity of rock carried
many miles hint at its cultural importance.
Tradition records Kualoa, more than 10 miles
away, as one source of these stones.
It is likely that the function of this heiau
changed over time. It probably began as a
mapele or agricultural heiau with ceremonies
and rites conducted to insure the fertility
of the crops grown in Kawai Nui. In later
times, it may have become a heiau luakini
dedicated to success in war with structures
erected atop this massive stone platform,
including an altar, an oracle tower or anu'u,
thatched hale, and notches in the terraces
to hold the ki'i or wooden images. The
spring off the corner of the heiau was
another important feature related to the
ceremonial traditions of the site.
Ulupo Heiau measures 140 by 180 feet with
walls up to 30 feet in height. The
construction of this massive terraced
platform required a large work force under
the direction of a powerful ali'i. Several
O'ahu chiefs lived at Kailua and probably
participated in ceremonies at Ulupo Heiau,
including Kakuhihewa in the 1400s and
Kuali'i in the late 1600s. Kuali'i fought
many battles and he may have rededicated
Ulupo Heiau as a heiau luakini. Maui chief
Kahekili came to O'ahu in the 1780s and
lived in Kailua after defeating O'ahu high
chief Kahahana for control of the island.
Kamehameha I worked at Kawai Nui fishpond
and is said to have eaten the edible mud (lepo
ai ia) of Kawai Nui when there was a
shortage of kalo. But by 1795 when
Kamehameha I conquered O'ahu, it is believed
that Ulupo Heiau was already abandoned.
Ulupo Heiau was transferred from the
Territorial Board of Agriculture and
Forestry to Territorial Parks in 1954. In
the early 1960s, through a joint effort of
State Parks and Kaneohe Ranch, the stone
walkway was placed atop the heiau and the
stone paving was laid around the springs.
The bronze plaque was installed in 1962 by
the Commission on Historical Sites. Ulupo
Heiau is listed on the National and Hawaii
Registers of Historic Places. At Ulupo Heiau,
State Parks seeks to promote preservation of
the heiau and heighten public awareness
about the cultural history of Kawai Nui. |
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DIRECTIONS |
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By foot
from YMCA parking lot, via Manu-O'o,
Manu-Aloha, and Uluoa streets, off Kailua
Road (Highway 61), 0.4 mile northeast of
Castle Hospital, Kailua. |
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WEBSITE |
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http://www.hawaiistateparks.org/parks/oahu/Index.cfm?park_id=32 |
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