The Sacred Grounds

The Slaughter at Kawaihae: A Kingdom Consecrated

An Invitation of Peace, A Portent of Doom

By the summer of 1791, the great temple was finished. Its massive stone walls dominated the coastline, a formidable symbol of Kamehameha's power and piety. Now, it needed to be consecrated. An act that required the ultimate offering: a high-ranking human sacrifice. Kamehameha sent messengers to his cousin and rival, Keōua, inviting him to the dedication ceremonies with a promise of peace.

The invitation placed Keōua in an impossible position. His own warriors and advisors smelled a trap, warning him that he would be walking into his own doom. Yet, what choice did he have? His forces had been depleted by years of war and a recent, devastating volcanic eruption that had killed many of his warriors. Perhaps he was resigned to his fate, or perhaps he was simply awed by the mana of the new temple. He believed his cousin's rise was now inevitable. For whatever reason, he accepted the invitation and set sail for Kawaihae.

The Final Act of Defiance

On the journey to Puʻukoholā, knowing he was sailing toward his death, Keōua performed a final, powerful act of defiance. In secret, he took a sharp stone and mutilated himself. This was not an act of madness but a calculated spiritual rebellion. A sacrificial offering to the gods, especially one of such high rank, had to be perfect, whole, and unblemished. By marring his own body, Keōua deliberately spoiled the sacrifice. He denied Kamehameha the perfect offering his god demanded. A way of thwarting his cousin's destiny and asserting his own will even in his final moments.

The Sacrifice and Consecration

As Keōua's canoe approached the shore at Pelekane, below the great heiau, Kamehameha stood with his arms open as if in welcome. But it was a ruse. As Keōua stepped ashore, he and his companions were ambushed and slain. The exact details of his death are shrouded in the mists of competing oral traditions. Some say Keʻeaumoku, Kamehameha's ambitious father-in-law, cast the first spear. Another version contends that Keōua was carefully drowned in the sea to avoid marking his body with a weapon. A third, more provocative story suggests he was shot by Kamehameha's foreign advisors, John Young and Isaac Davis, giving the beach its name, Pelekane, or "British."

Whatever the method, the result was the same. Keōua's body was captured. It was likely taken to the older Mailekini Heiau for the sacred rites of preparation before being carried up the hill to the stone altar of Puʻukoholā. There, he was offered as the principal sacrifice to Kūkāʻilimoku. With this ultimate act, the great war temple was consecrated. Its spiritual power made absolute.

The Prophecy Fulfilled

The death of Keōua Kūahuʻula was the final, bloody turning point. It ended all opposition on the island of Hawaiʻi, solidifying Kamehameha's control of his home base. From this secure position of power, he launched his final campaigns. He reconquered Maui in 1794 and took Oʻahu in a bloody battle at Nuʻuanu in 1795. Finally, in 1810, the king of Kauaʻi submitted peacefully through negotiation. The prophecy of Kāpoūkahi was fulfilled. The warring islands were now one, and Puʻukoholā Heiau became the first seat of government for the new Hawaiian Kingdom.

The modern healing ceremonies held at the heiau, like the one on its 200th anniversary in 1991 that brought descendants of both Kamehameha and Keōua together, are not mere pageantry. They are vital acts of hoʻokuʻikahi—of making unity—and of reconciling a painful past, a process that continues to this day.