Important cultural site

Because of its isolation, it (He‘eia Bay) is unequaled as an area where the atmosphere of the ancient Hawaiian scene can be recreated. (Archaeological survey, 1971)

He‘eia is the smallest, most isolated Bay within the ali‘i (chief, royalty) historic corridor, overshadowed by the larger Keauhou Bay next door to the south, and Kahalu‘u to the North.  The word He‘e (as in He‘eia Bay) means both to slide and to surf. It is the perfect name for this little bay that was focal point for both land sliding and surfing competitions of the royalty.

Slipping and sliding down the mountain

Our matching of google maps to old records suggest the second house from the point on the south side of the Bay, was the location of the cement pad that was the ending point for Kaneaka Holua, the longest land slide in all of Hawaii. In ancient times (some experts say as much as 800 years ago, all the way up to the late 1800’s!) chiefs raced their specially fashioned, 12’ long sleds (holua) a mile down the stone-paved, steep mountainside to this bay. They were testing their bravery and creating an original extreme sport, before the term was invented. You can still see some of the kanaka holua slide on Ali‘i Drive, mauka (to the mountain side) of the entrance to the golf course.  Some royalty kept their residence on that cliff with views to both Keauhou and He‘eia Bays.

Surfing

He‘eia Bay was also a favorite surfing spot for the chiefs. The breaks coming from the left and right are described in a famous hula mele (song), known as aia I he‘eia. It’s actually about the visit of the last Hawaiian King, David Kalaukaua (the singing, dancing, poetry writing, Merry Monarch), who surfed at our little He‘eia Bay, when he was at his summer residence at Kahalu‘u (now the beach park). Kihei de Silva has written the history of this famous mele about He‘eia Bay and translated the words into English. You can read his wonderful piece here: https://apps.ksbe.edu/kaiwakiloumoku/kaleinamanu/he-aloha-moku-o-keawe/aiaiheeia

In the olden days, on special occasions, it’s said surfers and sliders competed with each other, with surfers coming on their long boards from far offshore racing against the sliders coming down the hill – each heading to this same small beach we call He‘eia.  Judges watched from the south side bluff.

Today, when the surf is up, it is still a favorite place for experienced surfers, but can be treacherous for the less experienced.The impact of surfing on He‘eia Bay in modern times is positive and profound. It was surfers who first cut a path through hale koa to be able to see the waves before carrying their boards all the way to the beach. At least one surfer, a Vietnam vet, became a bit of a security guard for the bay, reminding illegal campers that they needed to leave. During big surf times, swimmers can enjoy the show from the beach, but should wait for calm waters before venturing out. Those calm waters are common in the summer, making it a great place for snorkeling during the warm season.

Stone walls – old ones and modern

In the process of removing debris, we have uncovered several old walls. At least one seems to be an animal pen. An archaeologist’s review suggests it was for  a donkey or horse, which fits the size. Some have suggested cattle were held there before being put on a barge leaving from Keauhou Bay next door. Now it’s generally agreed the barges did not leave from Keauhou Bay and there were no cattle at He‘eia Bay.

Some of the lava rock walls that are now exposed seem ancient, but some may be from the modern era. The wall that surrounds the brackish pool appears to have been at least partly built after the introduction of cement, which was used for some kind of well shaft. The wall just south of the pool is of recent construction. Some people say it was put up by a caretaker of the church property above the cliff. Others believe it may be the work of the extended Hawaiian family who own that small piece of land, which is not controlled by the Kamehameha Schools Trust

In the process of removing some of the overgrowth, we have uncovered at least one potential dwelling platform, made of ili ili (little black rocks) that appear to have been set carefully into the ground. Most likely this was for a dwelling, made in the modern era. However, an archaeologist report suggests it may well have been built on top of a similar structure created many generations earlier. Thus we are piling rocks around the perimeter to discourage use or walking on it, in order to keep it intact for archaeologists to possibly study some time in the future.

A sacred place: Kumaha‘ula heiau

A Heiau is a sacred place for Hawaiians, a stone temple where offerings are made, guidance is sought, and for a period in the 1700’s sacrifice may have been practiced. Right above He‘eia Bay on the north side, is Kumaha‘ula Heiau, the only heiau that still exists between Keauhou and Kahalu‘u Bays. We are unsure what the name means, though ula can mean both red, and sacred. Part of the Heiau had already slipped into the ocean when the tsunami of 2011 hit our bay hard and took out much more of it. Someday we hope to see the heiau restored. In the meantime, it must be protected from encroachment.

Today many local people consider all of He‘eia Bay and its adjoining beach to be a sacred place. Some visitors pick up on this sensibility and can be seen morning and evening sitting in silent meditation overlooking the beach.

Hula – where body and soul are in sync

If Heiau is the place, hula is the practice that joins spiritual and physical, chant and dance, with reverence and often a bit of humor combined. We are happy to see that local Hawaiian students, under the guidance of a kumu (teacher) are now coming to He‘eia Bay to continue the ancient arts of chanting and hula.

You can see videos of a variety of contemporary Hula dancers’ interpretations of the He‘eia Bay mele (including a Hula workshop on it in New York City!!) on You Tube: www.youtube.com/results?search_query=he%27eia+bay+hula. You can hear a recording of a traditional version of the He‘eia Bay mele on the same page as Kihei de Silva’s translation.

Stacking rock

In the ancient days, Hawaiians stacked rocks to honor the local gods, to bring good luck for fishing, sometimes with different configurations to attract different species of fish, and to honor the dead. Some still stack rocks for these purposes. Today, a small but growing group of people are building a bridge between the old and the new. They practice the art of stacking rocks for its own sake, with no purpose beyond balancing improbable weights and shapes with a deep awareness of where the rocks come from and will return to. This emerging form of spiritual and artistic practice can’t be mastered by any amount of physical strength, or willpower. Rather very focused attention — “listening” to what the rocks say about themselves — accomplishes what force can’t make happen: tiny things carry large ones; grossly “unbalanced” combinations become not just stable, but serene; the final stack points to great mysteries beyond.

Land Ownership

Today, He‘eia Bay is almost fully under the direct ownership of the King Kamehameha Schools trust, which is the estate of Bernice Puhai Bishop, the last direct descendent of the royal house of Kamehameha. A small strip along the south side of the land bordering the bay, directly in front of the brackish pool, is still owned by a Hawaiian family, who are no longer directly involved in the land. The piece was originally larger, but the front was washed out to sea during the tsunami. We want to contact that family to get permission to help maintain their property in the spirit of kuleana.

We know that not only legal land ownership, but the very concept of land ownership changed dramatically from ancient times, when pie shaped pieces of land from the mountain down to the sea were “owned” collectively by the people who worked the land, played and worshiped. The great Kuleana Policy of 1850 was a well-intended effort to formalize and protect ownership patterns as the population grew. But the concept of individuals owning a piece of the aina (earth) was a hard one for many traditional Hawaiians – and indigenous people around the earth – to understand. They were less prepared to comply with the burden of paperwork needed to claim title, than the Europeans and other immigrants who had begun arriving. Thus they lost most of their land. Even Hawaiians who were able to get original title often lost it if taxes weren’t paid, and some sold their land to the haoles (foreigners).

For example, a 1960’s book about beaches in Hawaii describes how during the early 1930’s, Rev Shannon Walker, Pastor of Central Kona Union Church in Kealakekua, bought four parcels of land on the south side of He‘eia Bay, and built four dormitories plus a common dining room, for a youth camp he located there. Apparently, they used the brackish pond, that was an ancient bathing pool and/or shrimp pond, not only for bathing, but for a common toilet! By then the fresh water well had dried up, so they got their drinking water through catchment. The youth camp lasted long enough that during the 60’s many people referred to He‘eia as Walker Bay. But what happened to Walker and the Central Kona Christian Church? How did the trust regain the land? And what happened to these forgotten youth?

As we learn more about the dramatic – and for many Hawaiians, traumatic  -transition to private land ownership, we’ll share that here.

The start of a time line

We would like to build a timeline for He‘eia Bay history. According to Wikipedia, recent carbon dating has shown the first Polynesians arrived in Hawaii almost four centuries later than was once believed (between 1025–1120); then in a relatively short burst of time, continued in one major pulse to all remaining islands (between 1190–1290). This rapid colonization is believed to account for the how remarkably uniform and intact the Polynesian culture stayed up to the point of European contact.

Pre-1200: no one was here, except maybe the menehunes (little people, mischief makers,Hawaii’s version of what the Irish call leprechauns)

1200- to 1810: the ancient period of colonization, the Holua slide came sometime during that period. Historians suggest it may have been early during this period, almost 800 years ago.

1810 – 1850: transition from small local villages to unified state under a King – beginning of private land ownership

1850 to 1930 – what do we know?

A few families lived here. Who were they? How did they live?

1930 to 1960 – We have one picture of the bay from 1930.  We hear stories of four families who lived here until the fresh water ran out.

Walker put in the youth camp. Who did he buy from?

1960 – Non-profit set up for Fishermans Competition at He‘eia Bay

1975-1985: Kanaloa Development and neighborhood housing

When was the sewer put in? the paved road? the paved alley to the beach

1995-2005: He‘eia Bay site became overgrown, providing a place to hide drug use and exchange; many women felt unsafe to visit alone

2005-2011: Used mostly by surfers who cleared some invasive haole koa to see the beach. Surfers are under-appreciated as practical custodians of many beach areas.

2011: Tsunami completely changed the topography, pulling out massive trees, bring rocks and gravel onto the land,  but also opening the space to get a better sense of the place as a whole.

2011-2016: Neighbors and surfers kept up the beach area, and tried to keep up with garbage.

2017: He‘eia Bay Forever, founded. First project: getting garbage picked up regularly. See our projects page.

Where did this information come from

Local people

Archaeological documents

Dozens of books (complete bibliography being compiled)

Wikipedia

Kamehameha Schools Bishops Estate website

https://apps.ksbe.edu/kaiwakiloumoku/kaleinamanu/he-aloha-moku-o-keawe/aiaiheeia