Abstract
Archaeology of Hawaii. A survey of the archaeology of Oahu based on field work in 1930 by Mr. J. Gilbert McAllister (Bull. 104, Bernice P. Bishop Museum, Honolulu) has been undertaken in order to place on record such evidence as remains of the people who were in Hawaii when it was first visited by European voyagers. European culture and exotic vegetation introduced into the island are rapidly destroying the sites; but knowledge of them is still treasured by the older inhabitants. Various types of remains are here recorded. The old Hawaiian places of Worship fall into two groups, large communal places of worship, for which the term heiau is generally employed, and small shrines at which offerings were made. The former are the most interesting remains now found on Oahu. Of these there are 27, while on 19 other sites portions remain. In size they range from 50 ft. X 40 ft. up to 570 ft. X 170 ft. They may be classified into walled structures, terraced structures and walled and terraced structures. The sacrificial heiau was the highest type. On it human sacrifices were offered, and it could be built only by a king. It was essentially a war temple. The husbandry heiau was used chiefly to ensure the prosperity of the people. With few exceptions the heiau were built of natural basalt. The smaller places of worship were fishing shrines, family shrines and road shrines, those functioning in connexion with fishing rites being by far the most important of these. The ceremony consisted in making an offering. It was made by one individual who was regarded as the guardian of the shrine. Several were sacred to certain fish only. Four shrines consisting of small enclosures were noted, but probably most shrines consisted of single stones. The family shrine was an integral part of every household; while the road shrine was a place where offerings were made to some spirit.
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Research Items. Nature 133, 500–501 (1934). https://doi.org/10.1038/133500a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/133500a0