Historic resource study for three Hawaiian units of the National Park System including Pu'ukoholā Heiau National Historic Site, and Kaloko - Honokōhau and Pu'uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Parks locate on the west coast of the Island of Hawai'i with the focus on the Pu'ukoholā Heiau.

Created by the National Park Service, this Web site is an online version of a booklet that provides visitors with a cultural history of three traditional Hawaiian sites on the West Coast of Hawaii Island. The primary purpose of this study was to determine the appearance of Pu'ukohola Heiau and any structures that rested on its platform during the late 19th and early 19th centuries. In addition, any evidence concerning the location and appearance of buildings on the John Young homestead, which is a component of Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site was also important.

The focus of this book is the spiritual/religious life of the indigenous people of Hawai‘i—the Knaka Maoli. Their spiritual principles of mlama ‘ina (caring for the environment), kuleana (individual responsibility), kkua (helping one another), and ‘ohana (family beyond blood ties) enabled the Hawaiians to survive the decimation of their population and colonial attacks upon their government and cultural heritage. Moreover, these ideals passed on into the many immigrant groups that came to the Islands and helped them coalesce into one “multiracial” people. The future promise of Hawai‘i may lie in these ancient principles, for they represent a much-needed idea of working in harmony with the environment and are characterized by respect, tolerance, and understanding of differences. They may represent a new way of looking at sociocultural processes in the hope of solving complex problems of the modern world. This indeed may be the lasting legacy of the Knaka Maoli.

Although its soils are the youngest in the Hawaiian chain, the Big Island's chronicles are at times epic, tragic, and heroic, but always fascinating. Modern Hawai'i is filled with tradition and mythology, accommodating influences as diverse as its inviting landscape. Kamehameha stood tall to mold this nascent region into a unified kingdom and others fought to sustain it, while outside forces molded and shaped this island in astonishing ways.

The remains of Kaniakapp--King Kamehameha III's summer residence--bear no traces of the feast that once served ten thousand of his subjects gathered in celebration of Hawaiian sovereignty. Although not all historic Hawaii residences are still standing, the pictures, photographs, and comprehensive maps in this book can provide a wealth of knowledge. Discover the site of Queen Ka'ahumanu's death, Princess Ruth Ke'eliklani's house, which rivaled the splendor of King Kalkaua's official palace, and Lili'uokalani's home, where Robert Wilcox plotted an armed insurrection to overthrow the Constitution of 1887. Using accounts by missionaries, ship captains, early visitors, and reports in English and Hawaiian-language media, this groundbreaking book provides an extensive look into the now-lost residences of the kingdom's elite. Learn about the historic events that took place in the residences of Hawaiian royalty and see how the island chiefs lived their everyday lives.

King Kamehameha the Great had 30 wives. Ka'ahumanu (c.1768-1832) was his favorite. Descended from Oceanian voyagers, she grew up in a society completely isolated from the rest of the world, her life enmeshed in dynastic wars and constrained by an elaborate system of taboos. In 1778, she was shocked by the arrival of alien ships, followed by an influx of foreigners. In their wake came devastating epidemics. Seizing power after the King's death, Ka'ahumanu overturned those taboos and guided her nation through revolutionary change, crucial to the Hawaiian Islands' unification. Through sicknesses, romances, infidelities, murders, rebellions, pardons, travels, missionary work, and more, her story challenges many beliefs about American history, Christianity, and gender. Further, it has implications for current debates about immigration, sexuality, and religious diversity. Drawing on seldom-analyzed French and Russian sources, this biography covers neglected aspects of Ka'ahumanu's life. The many spouses and lovers she and Kamehameha had, the roles played by Central Europeans, African-Americans, Catholics and Unitarians in her realm, and struggles with religious pluralism are all included.