Keauhou Sacred Sites
Address Kahaluu-Keauhou, Hawaii 2008 Preservation Honor Awards Kamehameha Investment Corporation for restoration of sacred sites of Keauhou including Hapaiali‘i and Ke‘eku heiau Keauhou, in the ahupua‘a of Kahalu‘u on the island of Hawai‘i, holds some of Hawaii's most culturally significant ancient sites and historic event locations that forever changed Hawaii's history. Most of these sites are obscured by earlier development and ravaged over time by nature, including earthquakes, tidal waves and high surf. Because Hawaii's commitment to its cultural past has often been overshadowed by community development goals, landowners often wrestle to find a balance between cultural responsibility and economic need. This pattern of community mistrust posed a problem for Keauhou in early community relationship building as the conversation about restoring Hawaiian cultural sites within the resort began. Kamehameha Investment embarked on a monumental restoration campaign to reconstruct the venerable Hapaiali‘i and Ke‘eku heiau and to complete research on nearby Kapuanoni heiau. As they planned the restoration of the first site, it became clear that cultural protocol and unique environmental elements would be the center of the project and that deep community involvement would be key. The cultural team was tasked with teaching those involved—including native Hawaiians, local residents and local area high school students—the daily rituals that connected this modern day restoration team to cultural practices. As a first step in the restoration, students from Kealakehe High School and Ke Kula 0 Ehunuikaimalino, a native Hawaiian Charter School, worked alongside cultural and archaeological specialists to research and compose plane table maps of Kapuanoni heiau. This created an opportunity to engage these students in Hawaiian culture and archaeology. Through this program, students had the opportunity to be a part of the [...]