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{{Short description|Hawaiian temple}}
[[File:Hale-o-pi-ilani-heiau.jpg|thumb|Hale O Pi'ilani Heiau, near [[Hana, Hawaii|Hāna]] on [[Maui]]]]
[[File:Ruins of mahuka heiau.jpg|thumb|Pu'u O Mahuka Heiau]]
[[File:2022-1025-manoa-heritage-center-3.jpg|thumb|Heiau, [[Mānoa Heritage Center]], Honolulu, Hawaii, 2022-1025]]
[[File:Kealakekua Bay heiau illustration.jpeg|thumb|An illustration of a heiau at [[Kealakekua Bay]] at the time of [[James Cook]]'s third voyage, by William Ellis]]

A '''''heiau''''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|h|eɪ|.|aʊ}}) is a [[Hawaii]]an [[temple]]. 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 hō{{okina}}ola''), 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'').

Only the [[luakini]] was dedicated through human sacrifice.<ref>Kamakau, Samuel. ''The Works of the People of Old'', pp. 129-134</ref> There are two types of luakini. They were called the ''{{okina}}ohi{{okina}}a ko'' and ''haku{{okina}}ohi{{okina}}a''.<ref name="Samuel Kamakau 1993">Samuel Kamakau, ''Ka Poe Kahiko; The People of Old'' (Honolulu: Bishop Museum Press, 1993), 130.</ref>

After the [[ʻAi Noa|official end]] of [[Hawaiian religion]] in 1819 and with later pressure from [[List of missionaries to Hawaii|Christian missionaries]] (who first arrived in 1820), many were deliberately destroyed, while others were left into disrepair. Heiau are still considered sacred by many of the inhabitants of Hawaii, and some are not open to the public. In ancient times, only chiefs and priests were allowed into some of these heiau. There are even stories from [[Folklore in Hawaii|Hawaiian folklore]] attributing the creation of these temples to the [[menehune]]s, a group of legendary dwarf people.<ref>{{cite book |last=Thrum |first=Thomas |title=Hawaiian Folk Tales |url=https://www.sacred-texts.com/pac/hft/hft13.htm |publisher=[[A. C. McClurg]] |year=1907 |pages=34–37}}</ref> Some heiau structures have been fully restored physically and are operated in the 21st century as public attractions.
[[File:Mo'okini_heiau.jpg|thumb|The ruins of Mo'okini Heiau on [[Hawaii (island)|Big Island]]]]

==Architecture==
Heiau were made in different shapes depending upon their purpose, varying from simple stone markers to large stone platforms and often included high stacked stone walls surrounding an open central enclosure.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kirch |first=Patrick Vinton |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/11841243 |title=Feathered gods and fishhooks : an introduction to Hawaiian archaeology and prehistory |date=1985 |publisher=University of Hawaii Press |isbn=0-8248-0981-5 |location=Honolulu |oclc=11841243}}</ref> Their shapes could be rectangular, square, or rounded.<ref name="Kamakau, p. 135">Kamakau, p. 135</ref> Some consisted of simple earth terraces, while others were elaborately constructed stone platforms. They could be placed on hills, cliffs, level earth, valleys and on the coastline touching the sea.<ref name="Kamakau, p. 135"/> Some ''ko{{okina}}a'' or fishing shrines were built underwater. Heiau of the people varied in size. Large heiau were built by prominent people while small heiau were built by the humble.<ref>Samuel Kamakau, ''Ka Poe Kahiko; The People of Old'' (Honolulu: Bishop Museum Press, 1993), 131.</ref>

US missionary [[Hiram Bingham I|Hiram Bingham]] described a heiau he saw on route hiking between the summits of Mauna Kea and Hualalai. Made of piled lava rock, it was a square of {{convert|100|ft|m}}, with walls eight feet high and four feet thick (2.5 by 1.3m). A doorway led through the middle of the north wall. Eight pyramids surrounded the outside of the temple. Made also of piled lava rock, they were {{convert|12|ft|m}} in diameter and 12 to {{convert|15|ft|m}} high.<ref>Bingham, Hiram. ''A Residence 21 Years in the Sandwich Islands'', Tuttle (1981) p. 397</ref>

==Heiau types==
The ''luakini po{{okina}}okanaka'' were large heiaus. Only the Ali{{okina}}i nui of an island or moku could use this type of heiau. Other chiefs or the ''maka{{okina}}ainana'' that built this type of heiau were considered rebels. This type of heiau was usually built alongside coastlines, in the interior of the land, or on mountain sides.<ref name="Samuel Kamakau 1993"/> The largest heiau on Oahu is [[Pu'u O Mahuka|Pu{{okina}}u O Mahuka]], which covers almost two acres of land. This heiau was not only used for religious purposes. As it was also used to track fire signals from the [[Wailua River State Park|Wailua Complex of Heiaus]] on Kauai<ref>[http://www.hawaiistateparks.org/parks/oahu/puuomahuka.cfm Pu'u O Mahuka Heiau State Historic Site], Department of Land and Natural Resources, N.d. Retrieved on 13 November 2012.</ref>

An older form of heiau is preserved on [[Nihoa]] and [[Necker Island (Hawaii)|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.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kirch |first=Patrick Vinton |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1099790638 |title=Heiau, ʻaina, lani : the Hawaiian temple system in ancient Kahikinui and Kaupō, Maui |date=2019 |others=C. L. N. Ruggles, Andrew B. Smith |isbn=978-0-8248-7942-6 |location=Honolulu |oclc=1099790638}}</ref> In general, maraes in Hawaii are represented by stone platforms, sometimes tiered, with stone uprights typically located near the edges of the platform or tier.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Emory |first=Kenneth P. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/50920432 |title=Archaeology of Nihoa and Necker Islands |date=2002 |publisher=Bishop Museum Press |isbn=1-56647-565-1 |location=Honolulu |oclc=50920432}}</ref>

==Preserved sites==
The heiau most commonly preserved are war temples of the later period of history (e.g. [[Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site]]). They are composed of large stone platforms with various structures built upon them.  The structures were used to house priests, sacred ceremonial drums, sacred items, and [[cult image]]s representing the [[:Category:Polynesian deities|gods]] associated with that particular temple.  There were also altars (Ahu) on which to offer [[sacrifice]]s (plant, animal and human). The heiau were sacred places; only the [[kahuna]] (priests) and certain sacred [[ali'i]] (high chiefs) were allowed to enter.

The largest heiau known to exist, Hale O Pi'ilani Heiau, is a massive, three-acre (12,000-square-meter) platform with fifty-foot retaining walls, located in [[Hana, Hawaii|Hāna]] on [[Maui]]. Built for Pi'ilani, it dates to the 13th century.<ref name="Engledow-2009">{{cite news
 |last=Engledow 
 |first=Jill 
 |title=A Heiau in the Garden 
 |work=Native Soul - The Culture and Aloha of Maui, Hawaii 
 |volume=13 
 |issue=3 
 |publisher=[[Maui No Ka 'Oi Magazine]] 
 |date=May 2009 
 |url=http://www.mauimagazine.net/Maui-Magazine/March-April-2009/The-Heiau-in-the-Garden/ 
 |access-date=2009-08-17 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090831033826/http://www.mauimagazine.net/Maui-Magazine/March-April-2009/The-Heiau-in-the-Garden/ 
 |archive-date=2009-08-31 
}}</ref>

Agricultural heiau, called generally ''Hale-o-Lono'' for the god of fertility, can be found today on O{{okina}}ahu at Makaha (Kaneaki heiau - fully restored) and in Hawaii Kai (Pahua heiau - partially restored). The Kaneaki heiau was built in the 17th century, containing grass and thatched huts that were chambers used for prayer and meditation.<ref>[http://www.hawaiiweb.com/oahu/kaneaki-heiau.html#detaileddescription Kaneaki Heiau Oahu], Hawaii Web, N.d. Retrieved on 13 November 2012.</ref>

The ruins of a healing heiau, Keaiwa ("the mysterious"), are located at the entrance to Keaiwa State Park in {{okina}}Aiea.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hawaiistateparks.org/parks/oahu/keaiwa.cfm |title=> Parks > Oahu > Keaiwa Heiau State Recreation Area |publisher=Hawaii State Parks |access-date=2009-09-27}}</ref>

Pu{{okina}}uhonua o Honaunau, in South Kona on the island of Hawai{{okina}}i, is a [[Sanctuary|place of refuge]]. It incorporates a heiau complex within it.

Because the land of heiau was sacred, it was not unusual for successive generations to add to original structures and the heiau purpose could change over time. An example is [[Ulu Po Heiau|Ulupo heiau]] in Kailua on O{{okina}}ahu, which is said to have been built by the ''menehune,'' that is, a long time ago. It is thought to have been used first as an agricultural heiau and later as a luakini.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hawaiistateparks.org/parks/oahu/ulupo.cfm |title=> Parks > Oahu > Ulupo Heiau State Historic Site |publisher=Hawaii State Parks |access-date=2009-09-27}}</ref>

==Destruction==
The [[Kapu (Hawaiian culture)|kapu]] or '''{{okina}}ai kapu'' system was abolished in October 1819 by [[Kamehameha II | Kamehameha II (Liholiho)]].{{Why|date=May 2018}}  The abolition of the kapu system ended the use of heiau as places of worship and sacrifice.  A period referred to as the [['Ai Noa]] or "free eating" followed. Missionaries arrived in 1820, and most of the aliʻi converted to Christianity, including [[Ka'ahumanu|Kaʻahumanu]] and [[Keopuolani|Keōpūolani]].

It took 11 years for Kaʻahumanu to proclaim laws against indigenous religious practices. All heiau were officially abandoned; most were destroyed over the years. Often they were broken up and plowed under to make way for fields of sugar cane. However, some of the families who were responsible for the heiau have continued the tradition of caring for them.

==List==
[[File:Necker Island Standing Stones.jpg|thumb|Heiau on [[Necker Island (Hawaii)|Necker Island]] (Mokumanamana), Northwestern Hawaiian Islands]]
'''Hawaii'''
*[[Kamakahonu|ʻAhuʻena Heiau]]
*Hale o Kapuni Heiau
*Mailekini Heiau
*[[Kohala Historical Sites State Monument|Moʻokini Heiau]]
*[[Pakaʻalana heiau]]
*[[Puʻukoholā Heiau National Historic Site|Puʻukoholā Heiau]]
'''Maui'''
*Hale O Piʻilani Heiau
*[[Haleki'i-Pihana Heiau State Monument]]
*[[Loaloa Heiau]]
'''Molokai'''
*[[Hokukano-Ualapue Complex|'Ili'ili'ōpae Heiau]]
'''Oahu'''
* Hale O Papa [Mother Earth Heiau in Halawa]
*Hoʻolonopahu Heiau
*Kaneʻaki Heiau 
*Pahua Heiau
*Pahukini Heiau<ref>{{Cite web|last=Fawcett|first=Denby|date=2019-11-26|title=Rescuing A 12th Century Heiau From A Garbage Dump|url=https://www.civilbeat.org/2019/11/denby-fawcett-rescuing-a-12th-century-heiau-from-a-garbage-dump/|access-date=2021-10-02|website=Honolulu Civil Beat|language=en}}</ref>
*[[Kea'iwa Heiau State Recreation Area|Keaiwa Heiau]]
*[[Puʻu o Mahuka Heiau State Monument|Puʻu o Mahuka Heiau]]
*[[Ulupo Heiau State Historic Site|Ulupo Heiau]]
'''Kauai'''
*[[Wailua River State Park]]
* Kaulu Paoa Hula Heiau
* Kaulu-o-Laka Hula Heiau
'''Niihau'''
*Kaunupou Heiau
*Kaunuapua Heiau
*Kauwaha Heiau
*Pahau Heiau
*Pueo Heiau
*Puhi Ula Heiau

==See also==
*[[Marae]]
*[[Dap-ay]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
{{commons category}}
*{{cite book
  | last = Pukui
  | first = Mary Kawena 
  | author-link = Mary Kawena Pukui
  |author2=Samuel Hoyt Elbert
  |author2-link=Samuel Hoyt Elbert
  | title = Hawaiian Dictionary
  | publisher = [[University of Hawaii Press]]
  | orig-year = 1957
  | year = 1986
  | edition = Revised
  | location = Honolulu
  | isbn = 0-8248-0703-0}}
*{{cite book
  | author= Isabella Aiona Abbott
  | author-link= Isabella Aiona Abbott
  | title = Lāʻau Hawaiʻi: Traditional Hawaiian Uses of Plants
  | publisher = [[Bishop Museum Press]]
  | year = 1992
  | location = Honolulu
  | isbn = 0-930897-62-5}}
*{{cite book
  | author = Te Rangi Hīroa
  | author-link = Te Rangi Hīroa
  | title = Religion
  | series = Arts and Crafts of Hawaii, No. 45
  | volume = XI
  | publisher = [[Bishop Museum Press]]
  | year = 1957
  | location = Honolulu
  | isbn = 0-910240-34-5}}

[[Category:Heiau| ]]
[[Category:Hawaiian religion]]
[[Category:Hawaiiana]]
[[Category:Hawaiian words and phrases]]
[[Category:Austronesian spirituality]]
[[Category:Infrastructure]]
[[Category:Building types]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures by type]]
[[Category:Urban studies and planning terminology]]