Sacred Site Overview
Hoku'alele Heiau
Located in the heart of Anahola, Hoku'alele Heiau stands as a beacon of ancestral wisdom and cultural resilience, serving as a vital center for spiritual and environmental stewardship.
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Site Focus: Heiau restoration, cultural preservation, and native forest stewardship
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Restoration of the three levels of terraced walls, including a 100 x 100-foot square enclosure and stone kiʻi (tiki)
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Removal of invasive species including Christmasberry, Java plum, Albizia, African tulip trees, and Guinea grass
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Preservation and care of existing native forest, including kukui, noni, lauaʻe ferns, lāʻi / tī plants, sacred lama trees, 'Ulei, 'Akoko, 'Ilima and Kauai indigenous haku ferns
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Project Size: 8 acres
Kuleana & Ancestral Stewardship
Makaʻula Edward Robert Kaiwi (1947–2022)
Learn more about Makaʻula Edward R. Kaiwi & his Konohiki boundraries here
The Legacy of Makaʻula Edward R. Kaiwi
Ka Hale Manu o Lono carries forward the legacy of Makaʻula Edward R. Kaiwi, the kahuna who devoted his life to the protection and preservation of Hokualele Heiau (Pūʻu o Kōnananai). As an elder and cultural practitioner, he carried profound knowledge and kuleana, standing for decades as a guardian of this sacred place.
During his lifetime, we cared for and stewarded the land alongside him, through presence, practice, and responsibility. His guidance shaped not only the work itself, but also the values and intentions with which it continues. When he passed in 2022, the responsibility of stewardship did not end. Ka Hale Manu o Lono continues this work with the same commitment, care, and respect.
We honor his legacy by upholding the ongoing preservation, protection, and respectful stewardship of Hokualele Heiau, recognizing him as the kupuna whose lifelong service laid the foundation for all that we do.
Kalalea Moutain
Hokualele Heiau (Pūʻu o Kōnananai) is situated at the base of the Kalalea mountain range in Anahola, an ahupuaʻa of the Koʻolau moku on the island of Kauaʻi. Anahola is a place deeply shaped by moʻolelo, named for a moʻo kupua whose presence connects land and sea, and nourished by waters flowing from Nāmāhana through Anahola Stream to Hālaulani, the muliwai at Anahola Bay. The Kalalea mountains rise as a defining landmark of this landscape, anchoring both physical geography and ancestral memory.
According to moʻolelo, Kalalea and Kōnananai are aliʻi figures whose names endure as the twin peaks of the mountain range, reflecting the intimate relationship between people, place, and ʻāina. These stories preserve ancestral knowledge, cultural practices, and ʻike kūpuna that continue to inform stewardship today, reminding us that the land itself carries history, genealogy, and life-giving mana.
Hokualele Heiau exists within this living cultural landscape, where moʻolelo guides our understanding of place and responsibility to care for it.
Restoration Initiatives
Restoring Hoku'alele Heiau is an act of historical reclamation and spiritual healing. Through indigenous stewardship, we are bringing life back to this sacred 'ahu, ensuring its stones remain a foundation for our future generations.
Stone Wall Rebuilding
Meticulous restoration of original dry-stack stone structures using ancestral alignment techniques to preserve the structural integrity of the heiau.
Native Forest Buffer
Removing invasive species and replanting the surrounding 8 acres with endemic flora to create a protective, sacred natural border.
Invasive Speices Removal
Removal of invasive species including Christmasberry, Java plum, Albizia, African tulip trees, and Guinea grass
Sacred Landscapes & Restoration Progress
Support
We welcome donations to support the efforts of those who steward and preserve Hōkūalele Heiau.
Mahalo for your kōkua.