Heiau

Made in different architectural styles depending upon their purpose and location, they range from simple earth terraces, to elaborately constructed stone platforms.

There are heiau to treat the sick (heiau hōʻola), offer first fruits, offer first catch, start rain, stop rain, increase the population, ensure the health of the nation, achieve success in distant voyaging, reach peace, and achieve success in war (luakini).

[2] After the official end of Hawaiian religion in 1819 and with later pressure from Christian missionaries (who first arrived in 1820), many were deliberately destroyed, while others were left into disrepair.

There are even stories from Hawaiian folklore attributing the creation of these temples to the menehunes, a group of legendary dwarf people.

[3] Some heiau structures have been fully restored physically and are operated in the 21st century as public attractions.

[6] US missionary Hiram Bingham described a heiau he saw on route hiking between the summits of Mauna Kea and Hualalai.

This type of heiau was usually built alongside coastlines, in the interior of the land, or on mountain sides.

As it was also used to track fire signals from the Wailua Complex of Heiaus on Kauai[8] An older form of heiau is preserved on Nihoa and Necker Island.

This form is typically referred to as marae as these structures more closely resemble structures referred to by similar names elsewhere in Polynesia and in general were replaced by the more common form visible in the rest of the island chain today after the abandonment of those islands.

The Kaneaki heiau was built in the 17th century, containing grass and thatched huts that were chambers used for prayer and meditation.

An example is Ulupo heiau in Kailua on Oʻahu, which is said to have been built by the menehune, that is, a long time ago.