heiau
Heiau are traditional Hawaiian temples and sacred sites used for religious ceremonies by ancient Hawaiians. The term heiau encompasses a wide range of structures, from simple lava-rock altars to large, enclosed complexes. They were built by aliʻi (chiefs) and kahuna (priests) and were dedicated to various gods and deified ancestors, including the major deities Ku, Lono, and Kanaloa, as well as local guardian spirits. The arrangement and scale of a heiau often reflected its purpose and the resources of the community.
Typical heiau consist of stone walls that enclose one or more terraces and a central platform or
Across the Hawaiian Islands, hundreds of such sites were built from the early settlement period through the
Prominent examples include Pu'uhonua o Honaunau, a national historic park that preserves a sacred precinct and