Keolonahihi, located at Kamoa Point, was once perhaps the most significant political and religious site in Kona. At this complex of heiau, houses, shrines and walled enclosures, royal births may have been celebrated; warriors trained in the arts of combat;
Keolonahihi
(Kamoa Point)
Keolonahihi, located at Kamoa Point, was once perhaps the most significant political and religious site in Kona. At this complex of heiau, houses, shrines and walled enclosures, royal births may have been celebrated; warriors trained in the arts of combat; chiefs taught their genealogies; and priests instructed in their duties. Kamehameha I is said to have learned the skills of warfare and the pleasures of surfing at this place. Later, as a victorious chief, he placed the feathered image of his war god, Kukailimoku, within the sacred temple walls.
When Liholiho overturned the traditional Hawaiian religion in 1819, Keolonahihi lost its previous significance. As years passed, the stone walls and paved platforms disappeared beneath a tangle of trees and shrubs. Once covering an area of at least 9 acres, the complex has been sliced in half by modern road construction.
In the 1970s, plans to develop Kamoa Point for resort use met with strong public resistance as interest in the historic site grew. The State of Hawaii purchased the Keolonahihi complex, and plans for restoration are under way. (In recent years, those plans have been put into action by a local cultural and historical foundation led by the Kanuha family.)
Further investigation has revealed yet another complex of heiau and stone enclosures located near Keolonahihi. This complex was the residence of a high Kona chiefess named Keakealaniwahine and is believed to have been built around 1650 A.D. The Keakealaniwahine complex, however, is located on private land and is possibly being threatened by the construction of a new highway.
Copyright 1998 Kona Historical Society. Reprinted by permission.
