Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 4, Number 5, 1 May 1987 — Pahua Heiau Project Gets Top Recognition [ARTICLE]

Pahua Heiau Project Gets Top Recognition

A 1987 preservation award will be presented to the Hawaii Kai Garden Circle for its community effort in the preservation of Pahua Heiau. The award, whieh will be made at 5 p.m. May 20 at the annual meeting of the Historic Hawaii Foundation at Washington Plaee, is for outstanding achievement in the preservation, restoration and interpretation of sites, buildings and districts of significance to the history and culture of the State of Hawaii. Pahua Heiau is the ruins of a traditional Hawaiian plaee of worship located on an undeveloped lot in the Hawaii Kai subdivision. A temple was built in prehistoric times by the loeal Hawaiian farmers and was probably used as an agricultural heiau for community religious activities related to farming. In recent years, many stones have been carried away from the unattended site and the original location of some of the heiau walls was lost. The stone remnants became covered with trees

and weeds, making the site difficult to find. The Hawaii Kai Garden Circle in 1984 launched a year-long project to restore the heiau site and develop it as a historic monument and park. Thick vegetation was removed, archaeologists made an accurate map of the site and excavations were conducted to locate the lost heiau walls. Diggings were made to find out more about the site for whieh there was little written information. Portions of the stone walls and platforms were rebuilt. The grounds were thoughtfully landscaped with trees important to Hawaiian traditional culture, including hala, kukui and niu. News of the heiau project inspired others to consider similar projects. Pahua Heiau was a community project sponsored by the Hawaii Kai Garden Circle and accomplished through the volunteer efforts of a large number of individuals and organizations, including June Norton and her husband, , Brayton, and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Culture Division (Maleolm Naea Chun who made the nomination for the award and Earl Buddy Neller).