Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 33, Number 11, 1 November 2016 — Kūkaniloko: A Most Socred Place on Oʻahu [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Kūkaniloko: A Most Socred Place on Oʻahu

Recent controversies have brought Mauna Kea and Papahānaumokuākea to puhlie consciousness as areas Hawaiians consider sacred. But judging by the number of ancient chants and stories that have eome down to us today, and the famous ali'i associated with it, the birthing stones of Kūkaniloko far surpassed those

areas in importance in ancient times. Stewarded by families for generations, now the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) is in the process of master planning the area in order to preserve it for posterity. One of OHA's initiatives over the years has been the acquisition of culturally valuable lands in order to establish a geo-cultural footprint that, along with commerciallands, wouldphysically define

the nation. These legacy lands are not valued for their revenue potential but instead for their importance as wahipana - legendary or sacred places. In 2012, with assistance from the Trust for Puhlie Lands, the state of Hawai'i, the City and County of Honolulu and the Army, OHA secured 511 acres in Central O'ahu fromthe Galbraith Estate. That acreage surrounds the 5-acre site of Kūkaniloko. According to OHA research, in ancient times, Kūkaniloko was set apart for the birth of high ranking chiefs on O'ahu island, and to be born there assured a status of divine descent. Birthright maintained the purity of divine lineage and established the chiefs as gods with the privilege to manage the sacred lands, precious natural resources, and the beloved people. Birth of chiefs at Kūkaniloko was eyewitnessed by 36 chiefs. There was a heiau or temple nearby where the newborn chief was taken for the recitation of genealogy, purification ceremonies, and severing of the umhilieal cord. Sacred drums were sounded to announee the arrival of the chief. The reign of those ali'i born at Kūkaniloko was said to be marked by good deeds, peaee, and prosperity.

Although there is some academic debate about the dating of the site, Kūkaniloko is thought to have been constructed as early as 1100 CE, and to have served as a plaee for chiefly births until the mid-1600s; the famous ali'i La'amaikahiki, Ma'ilikukahi and Kakuhihewa were born at Kūkaniloko. Kamehameha the Great wanted his wife Ke'ōpūolani to aive birth

at Kūkaniloko in the early 19th century (although she did not), and the site remained an important plaee to visit throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Kūkaniloko also was used to study the sun, moon, planets and stars relative to features upon the landscape to mark time and plaee. Recent studies of the archaeo-as-tronomy of Kūkaniloko suggest that the calculations made there were far more complicated than those made

at Stonehenge in England. Nestled between the Wai'anae and Ko'olau mountain ranges whieh flow toward this 36,000 acre central plateau that merges at Kūkaniloko to form the piko or navel of O'ahu, in this writer's opinion there is no more sacred Hawaiian plaee. OHA has launched a community-inclu-sive master planning initiative to provide the highest level of care and cultural nurturing. High on the priority list is managing respectful puhlie access to this sacred plaee that is in the early throes of becoming a popular visitor destination. The Hawaiian Civic Club of Wahiawā for years has maintained a remarkable vigil as caretakers of Kūkaniloko. Some of their families elaim unbroken genealogies that connect them through the centuries to the sweeping legacy of their ancestors. They continue to serve as the primary stewards of this remarkable plaee, and are working to restore it. Together with OHA and the larger community, they are working to preserve this sacred plaee. ■ I invite you to visit my website, www. PeterApo.com or emai.I me at PeterAOHA@ gmail.com.

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