Maunawila Heiau

We went on a field trip here! There are not many heiaus left in Hawaii, so it is great to live so close to one. A heiau is an ancient Hawaiian temple, or sacred site.

This is what we saw after exiting the bus and entering the bottom part of the site.

Walking up the path to see the rest of the heiau! It was covered in rotten leaves. Good thing we were there to help keep it in good shape! A group later raked the leaves from the top of the path all the way down to the bottom.

Here is the leaf-free path!

When we got to the top of the path, we saw this. There were some tarps, and a LOT of weeds! There were also some big, dark rocks covered in moss. We learned that this was neglected for many years until a group of people decided to try and restore it. This Heiau was dedicated to two Hawaiian gods. Upon entering the heiau, we were greeted by a chant.

Here is a better view of the weeds. I learned to use a machette to chop down thicker branches! 

We were joined by some wildlife as well.

After weeding for about an hour, we were given a quick tour. We learned about the heiau structure. This rock was the birthing stone. When I first heard "birthing stone" I felt a little disgusted because I imagined women had babies on top of the stone.

Soon after, however, I learned that hey just had babies near the stone. If a woman had a baby in a good place, the baby would be an important person. Also, women who could not conceive came here to receive help with that.

This sign shows that no one should trespass! This is a sacred site. There was some vandalism in the past. 

Photo Portfolio 2

This is a sign posted outside the Foodland here in Laie. It asks the community members to "Please kokua"(kokua means help). This is a good example of the Three C's balancing one another. Here we see that the main goal is commerce (increasing profit by preserving the shopping carts). However, the business owners seem to recognize this is a team effort so they are appealing to the community members for help. In this appeal, they incorporate the Hawaiian word "kokua", thus preserving what culture they can.

This is yet another development here in the little town of Laie. Soon we will have a gas station, which will attract more cars and business, and we will be even more overcrowded. While this will create more jobs for the community members, it will also take away even more land and more tradition and culture. 

Here we see a Filipino employee of the Polynesian Cultural Center. Many immigrant came over to work on the plantations here and one of the largest groups of laborers were from the Philippines. Today there are still many Filipino people all over the Hawaiian islands and they are helping to preserve Hawaiian culture. This employee is standing next to an Umu (underground oven). We see that it is not totally traditional. There are modern tools used to allow tourists to eat the cooked food inside this Umu. However, it is traditional enough to give us the general idea of the culture. I think the PCC does a good job of preserving culture while still keeping up with society. 

I would like to draw attention to these two pictures in an effort to make a comparison. One thing I notice here in the community is that many of the local people, whose ancestors lie in this earth, use public transportation. However, it is the strangers who come and visit that drive around in fancy cars and seem to have little respect for the way things are here. In tourist communities, the big hotels and businesses really are prostituting the Hawaiian culture. The Hawaiian people are left with little space while visitors come with their money, have a good time, then go.

Ah, my little home community of Anthem, Arizona. Well, at least it used to be little. Actually, it used to be all desert. I was there before Anthem popped up out of nowhere. Some trucks came in and in less than 5 years hundreds of families moved in. We liked it because stores and things were closer to us... but many people were disturbed by this. They basically forced people to sell their homes if such homes got in the way of development. 

Portfolio Project 1

Ah, the back gate of the Polynesian Cultural Center, or, as the locals call it, the "PCC". While it may look desolate during the morning hours, by the time noon hits and Monday through Saturday, there is a bustle of activities of either side of the gate. Hundreds of employees race to and from work.

The little circle is the main entrance to the Brigham Young University Hawaii campus. I love this "Yield to Pedestrians" sign because it is indicative of a very large part of the community: students pedestrians! Most of the students come from places other than the island of Oahu, so getting a car over the ocean to drive is nearly impossible. You will find many walking students on the road at all hours of the day. 

 This van seems to be a big part of the community of Laie because it is seen everywhere. It is an example of a radical vehicle that might be used to transport surfboards, scuba gear, or some sort of other type of gear. It would not be uncommon to see a big family or group of friends all stuffed inside the van as well. The colors play to that "Bob Marley" theme we seem to be perpetuating throughout the community as well.

 I do not know how I can describe the community of Laie without discussing one of its three focal points: the LDS temple. This temple was a place of gathering for many years for people throughout polynesia. Today, it is still a place of gathers as people from multiple Hawaiian islands still come regularly to participate in worship here. Additionally, the community of Laie is predominately LDS.

The Kahuku Red Raiders are a high school team that is heartily supported by the people of Laie. The Laie teenagers typically attend Kahuku High. After a victorious game, one will often hear honking, yelling, and partying all night long.

 Laie Palms Cinemas is the one place other than the PCC that people can go to do something fun (other than the great outdoors). Students often complain about the lack of options of things to do, especially on a rainy day. Often you will see many students in the theatre on a Friday night, it seems to be one more community gathering place.

Ah, the Laie bikes. Any driver in Laie will tell you that the bikes are very annoying. They always get in the way of cars and sometimes even as a pedestrian you need to watch out or you might get run over! The bikes are usually carrying students of all ages, from grade school through college.