What does heiau mean in Hawaiian?
Definition of heiau : a pre-Christian Hawaiian temple or other place of worship (as a stone platform or an earthen terrace)
What are two types of heiau?
Types of Heiau
- Types of Heiau.
- · Heiau po’o kanaka: used for human sacrifices, luakini, in honor of Kūkā’ilimoku, the God of War.
- · Heiau ho’oūlu: usually erected near a bay or overlooking reef to perform rituals to improve fishing.
- · Heiau ho’oulu ‘ai: offerings for food or crops.
What are heiau used for?
The structures were used to house priests, sacred ceremonial drums, sacred items, and cult images representing the gods associated with that particular temple. There were also altars (Ahu) on which to offer sacrifices (plant, animal and human).
How many types of heiau are there?
Three heiaus (ceremonial and religious structures) are within the wall; Alealea Heiau is the largest, and Hale O Keawe (dating from 1650) was a depository for the bones of deified kings and chiefs.
Who built the heiau?
Later oral tradition says that the current heiau was built on the older temple between the 13th and 14th centuries by Pa’ao, a legendary priest from either Tahiti or Samoa who is said to have introduced the Hawaiians to human sacrifice, the walled heiau, and several types of kapu – the system of religious, political.
Where are heiau located?
Loaloa Heiau is located in Kaupo, Hawaii, on the Island of Maui. The heiau (place of worship) overlooks the rural community of Kaupo and the Pacific Ocean to the south and the Manawainui Valley to the north.
What is a luakini heiau?
In ancient Hawaii, a luakini temple, or luakini heiau, was a Native Hawaiian sacred place where human and animal blood sacrifices were offered.
What is so special about Mo Okini heiau temple )?
It is one of the oldest and most sacred heiau (places of worship) in the Hawaiian Islands and is one of the first luakini heiau in the islands. Today, Mo’okini Heiau is considered a living spiritual temple and a sacred site to Native Hawaiians.
Do all heiau in Hawaiian society require human sacrifice?
There was only one form of heiau, however, that was dedicated via human sacrifice; the luakini heiau was built to achieve success in war. After all, the temple wasn’t used solely for human suffering; it was often used by the priests to communicate with the gods and long-dead ancestors.
What is the largest heiau in Hawaii?
The heiau were sacred places; only the kahuna (priests) and certain sacred ali’i (high chiefs) were allowed to enter. The largest heiau known to exist, Hale O Pi’ilani Heiau, is a massive, three-acre (12,000-square-meter) platform with fifty-foot retaining walls, located in Hāna on Maui.
What is the significance of the heiau in Honaunau?
Puʻuhonua o Honaunau, in South Kona on the island of Hawaiʻi, is a place of refuge. It incorporates a heiau complex within it. Because the land of heiau was sacred, it was not unusual for successive generations to add to original structures and the heiau purpose could change over time.
What are the different shapes of heiau?
Heiau were made in different shapes depending upon their purpose, varying from simple stone markers to large stone platforms, which were both parts of human sacrificial temples. Their shapes could be rectangular, square, or rounded. Some consisted of simple earth terraces, while others were elaborately constructed stone platforms.
What were the heiau and altars used for?
There were also altars (Ahu) on which to offer sacrifices (plant, animal and human). The heiau were sacred places; only the kahuna (priests) and certain sacred ali’i (high chiefs) were allowed to enter.
