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.