"These uplands of Wahiawa in central O'ahu
were a place where chiefs were born, where famed chiefs lived, and where
key battles for the control of O'ahu were fought. The royal
birthside of Kukaniloko and the associated heiau of Ho'olonopahu were
within the Waialua district. Nearby was the royal center of Lihu'e
within the lands of Wai'anae Uka. To the south were the houses and
fields in the uplands of the 'Ewa district.
Beginning with the birth of Kapawa in the 1300s or
possibly earlier, Kukaniloko became recognized as the royal birthsite on
O'ahu. Birth at Kukaniloko assured a child high-ranking status and
the privileges of this status. It also maintained the purity of
the royal lineages which gave chiefs their godly status and the right to
be leaders.
A child born in the presence of the chiefs was
called he ali'i, he akua, he wela - a chief, a god, a blaze of
heat."* (continued on
birthing
stones part 2 page)
*Quoted from the Interpretive Sign
Dedication handout provided at the Kukaniloko Birthstones State
Monument, Wahiawa, O'ahu, on Saturday, September 30, 2000.
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