In 1791, when he dedicated a new temple (or
heiau) on Hawai'i, he invited his cousin to meet him at the shore for the ceremony--only to stab the man to death on the beach and use his corpse as the temple's inaugural sacrifice.
According to Hawaii's big tree coordinator, Sheri Mann, Coco was "part of an ancient coconut grove located in the Hawea
heiau complex and Keawawa wetland on O'ahu.
Kamehameha rebuilt the
heiau of Ahu'ena (Burning Altar), the traditional sacred structure that now serves as the backdrop of the hotel's evening lu'au, and dedicated it to Lono, god of healing, peace, and abundance.
I remember taking students to Halawa Valley years after the devastation of the new freeway that destroyed so many sacred sites on the Ko'olau side, including the bulldozing of an important agricultural
heiau, as well as here on the Kona side.
Kailua Kona, HI, May 25, 2012 --(PR.com)-- Announcing the 2012 Big Island Pride Festival, Sunday July 22nd from 10:00AM - 2:00PM at Kamakahonu Beach/Ahu'ena
Heiau (the Luau Grounds of Courtyard at King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel).
Tourists may tour the ancient Ulupo
Heiau temple, visit the popular Kailua Beach Park or kayak to the Flat Island bird sanctuary.
Commoners were traditionally called upon to construct public works such as fishponds, irrigation systems, and
heiau (temples); they were also called upon to serve as foot soldiers in war.
Many
heiau (temples) were destroyed and bitter and bloody clashes followed.
This is just a brief stop on your way to the final National Park Service site along the coastal highway, Pu'ukohola
Heiau. Originally built as a sacrificial temple by King Kamehameha I, the temple became an impromptu fortress during a series of battles in the late 1700s.
Kohala Historical Sites State Monument, off Highway 270 near `Upolu Airport, includes Mo`okini
Heiau, the most famous ancient sacrificial
heiau (temple) in the state, and Kamehameha's Birthplace, a memorial to the 18th-century chief who united the islands under one rule.
The sympathy is periodically cosmic, such as when the book mentions that steel from the Sydney Harbour Bridge was produced in the area where Cook grew up, or that Cook's father's cottage (acquired after Cook had left home) was re-erected in Melbourne, or that Cook's remains, rather than lying next to his family in a London parish, had become "part of the Pacific," interred in an Hawaiian
heiau. Having described two worlds, Gascoigne then establishes Cook as the person who transcended or at least mixed those worlds, much like the tapa waistcoat that his wife had been making while awaiting for his return.