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Hālau
at Kē'ē, Kaua'i
Traveling to the Hula Heiau |
| As
I mentioned in the October's Kaua'i
article, back in August of this year, I experienced the
joy of visiting Kaua'i for the first time. One of the reasons
for my excitement about this trip had been related to performing
with the Academy of Hawaiian Arts and Kumu Mark at this year's
"Aloha Festival." But there was also another reason
for my excitement: I had been given permission by my Kumu Hula
of 'auana hula, Auntie Renee Ku'uleinani Price, to visit the
hula hālau on Kaua'i just above Kē'ē Bay. |
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This map, drawn in 1959 by Henry K.
Kekahuna for the Kaua'i Historical Society, illustrates
the scale of the site. Buildings and landmarks noted on
the map include: paved retaining walls; the heiau proper;
at least seven (raised) terraces; Kilioe, a famous pōhaku
piko5; paved stairway [from terraces to hālau];
the hālau proper; paved stairway for kahuna, kumu
hula, and their associates; site for the hula pahu, which
called students to assemble; sacred kuahu [altar] to the
goddess, Laka; and several sites for ki'i. |
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I had been longing to visit this site since first learning
of its existence when I read about it and saw pictures of
it in Hula, Historical Perspectives. It had once
been considered the most prestigious of all the hula hālau
in the Hawaiian islands, and is still considered a sacred
site for hula dancers to this day.
According to the authors of the book1,
the heiau [Kauluapā'oa2] and hula hālau
[Keahualaka3] date from an undetermined, ancient
period, when the legendary Kaua'i chief, Lohi'au – a
famous lover of the goddess, Pele – maintained a house
on a terrace approximately 600 feet east of the heiau. It
was in this house on Kaua'i that Lohi'au and Pele magically
dallied for three days and nights while Pele's body "slept"
miles away on the Big Island4. Although it is apparently
unclear whether or not Lohi'au actually established the hula
hālau, it is believed that this chief "trained in
hula;" according to the legend, when Lohi'au and Pele
first met, the chief was sitting at or near the heiau amidst
musicians accompanying a hula performance, among them his
very close friend, Pā'oa.
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The Kauluapā'oa heiau and Keahualaka hula hālau
were part of a sizeable complex which once included several
structures and specific areas with specific purposes.
It must have been an incredibly impressive place, encompassing
what appears to have been three or four square acres. It is
difficult today to get an accurate sense of the total breadth
and depth, as much of the area is heavily grown with dense
vegetation.
The description I had for how to reach the heiau and hula
hālau came from the book referenced above. It states,
"Just beyond the sand beach of Kē'ē Bay a short
coastal trail leads to the last rock-strewn stretch of shoreline
before the cliffs (pali) begin. Directly above is the impressive
stone structure identified as Ka-ulu-a-p_'oa Heiau. At the
top of the slope above the heiau and against the pali is the
unpaved platform identified as a hālau hula and sometimes
called Ke-ahu-a-Laka, or Ka-ulu-o-Laka6."
|
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| Kilioe, the famous pōhaku piko.
Black-and-white photo taken by M. Kelly, Dec. 1977 |
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| Modern photo taken by K. Nomura, Aug.
2005. |
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My husband, Keith Nomura, and I had had no difficulty finding
Kē'ē Bay: it's a very popular tourist location, recommended
in many popular guidebooks; in fact, the only difficulty we
encountered was in finding a parking space! While finding the
trail head wasn't exactly easy, it wasn't very difficult, either:
there is no signage (fortunately7), but when you
stand at the end of the beach facing the foot of the cliff,
there's really only one place to start looking, and once you
start looking, the trail becomes evident. And so we began the
ascent. |
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Path leading to heiau from Kē'ē
beach.
The stones alongside the path appear very worn. There
is a great deal of vegetation and in some places the path
seems liable to disappear, but it never does. |
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What we ultimately
discovered were the heiau and the hālau, which are both
maintained well enough for them to both be recognizable. But
the trail leading from the heiau to the hālau is heavily
overgrown. I experienced a number of things along the way, from
the trail to the heiau and on to the hālau, but I'd like
to save my personal impressions for the last installment. What
I'd like to discuss and illustrate in this article are the changes
we noted that are evident in the site between the 1920s and
today.
Almost all of the following black-and-white photos shown here
were taken in 1927 by renowned Bishop Museum anthropologist,
Kenneth P. Emory. The color images were taken by my husband
in August of this year. It was only after our return that I
realized he had taken pictures of similar views, and I was fascinated
to see the differences. |
Ka-ulu-a-Pa'oa heiau at Kē'ē,
Hā'ēna, Kaua'i. Looking westward across the pavement
of the lower terrace.8
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Slightly to the east of the B/W view,
this photo shows loss of the cliff face due to earthquake activity.
The path shown on the right appears to have been established;
it leads to a set of stairs which start the ascent to the hālau.
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There is a staircase that ultimately leads from the heiau to
the hālau; most of the terraces shown in the 1959 illustration
of the site have been overgrown. How we found our way up the
mountainside to the hālau is truly another story (read
it in December)!
It's clear, once at the hālau proper, to see why the site
is recommended to tourists: it is truly beautiful, with a commanding
view of the ocean. Nestled at the base of an imposing, black
lava rock cliff, the hālau suddenly appears in a clearing
of the trees and bushes. It is majestic. There are ancient restraining
walls still in place, and the face of the cliff is dotted with
fresh offerings to Laka, and for hula. |
According to the caption in Hula,
Historical Perspectives, this photo is "Looking makai at
the lower terrace of
Ka-ulu-a-Pa'oa heiau from the mauka structure, showing outcroppings
and terracing between the two structures."9
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The color photo was taken from a very
similar vantage point within the hālau. Some terracing
remains evident – but what is also striking is how much
is not, now filled with dense palm and other growth. |
There are references in Hula, Historical Perspectives
to visits made to the hālau in the late 1970s, due to the
resurgence at the time in Hawaiian culture and history. Photographs
document this interest, shown by offerings left in the cliff
face. |
The image on the left shows offerings
of palapalai and kauna'oa lei placed in crevices in the rock
face; it was 1977.11 |
This color photo was in August, 2005,
and the many offerings indicate that this site is still very
much in use, even today.. Photo by K. Nomura 2005. |
The hope expressed near the end of Hula, Historical Perspectives
was that the traditions of the Kē'ē sites of the
Kauluapā'oa heiau and Keahualaka hula hālau would
be preserved. Twenty-five years have passed since the book
was published; while it is thrilling to see that the site
remains accessible and is apparently somewhat maintained,
it is equally disheartening to see that full attempts at preservation
have apparently not been realized.
In my next and final chapter on my travels to and around
Kaua'i, I'll share a bit more of my own personal experiences
in this special place, as well as more photos (from land,
sea – and air!).
So, here's a final view of the hula hālau for you this
time...
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- by Patricia Ravarra |
____________________
1: Dorothy B. Barrère, Marion Kelly, and Auntie Mary
Kawena Pukui
2: the grove of Pā‘oa (author’s translation)
3: the altar to Laka (author’s translation)
4: the reference here is to the Legend of The Goddess Pele (William
Hyde Rice, 1923). This famous story describes how Pele met Chief
Lohi'au, and how they became lovers but were separated when
Pele's spirit needed to return to her body. A noteworthy aspect
is the example of Pele's rage, which resulted in the murder
of her lover, Lohi'au, and in the destruction of the beloved
lehua grove of her favorite sister, Hi'iaka.
5: pōhaku piko are special stones where umbilical cords
were deposited in the hopes of ensuring long healthy lives for
the children.
6: Hula, Historical Perspectives, pg. 96
7: Both the heiau and the hālau are mentioned in many tourist
guidebooks, with some recommending it as a "must see."
Some guidebooks describe the continuing sacred status of the
sites — but most do not. Unlike other heiau which are
still in active use, there is no signage onsite describing its
kapu status.
8: Hula, Historical Perspectives, pg. 109.
9: Photo by Mary S. Judd, taken in 1952.
10: Hula, Historical Perspectives, pg. 113.
11: Photo by M. Kelly, taken in 1977; Hula, Historical Perspectives,
pg. 113. |
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