Ahuena Heiau (Photo courtesty of Irondog Communications)

MEDIA RELEASE

Ahuena Heiau Inc. is again seeking the Big Island community’s support to help gather another 300,000 yellow or brown ti leaves to complete the refurbishment of the heiau in Kailua-Kona.

“We’re appreciative of the entire community’s help so far as we continue to gather, prepare and install materials at Ahuena Heiau but we need everyone’s kokua again to gather another 300,000 ti leaves to complete our work at Ahuena,” Ahuena Heiau Board Chairman Tom Hickcox said.

Yellow or brown ti leaves may be dropped off daily at King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel. Go to the hotel’s security guard shack at the entrance to the parking lot for instructions on where to drop off the ti leaves.

The restored Ahuena Heiau is the religious temple that served King Kamehameha the Great when he returned to the island of Hawaii in 1812. The center of political power in the Hawaiian kingdom during Kamehameha’s golden years, his highest advisors gathered at the heiau each night.

Three momentous events occurred here which established Ahuena Heiau as the most historically significant site in Hawaii.

* In the early morning hours of May 8, 1819, King Kamehameha I died here.

* A few months after the death of his father, in a time of political consternation and the threat of civil war, Liholiho (Kamehameha II) broke the ancient kapu system, a highly defined regime of taboos that provided the framework of the traditional Hawaiian government.

* The first Christian missionaries from New England were granted permission to come ashore here April 4, 1820.

Not until the mid-1970s, more than 150 years after these historical events unfolded, was an accurate restoration project undertaken. A community-based committee, Ahuena Heiau Inc., formed in 1993 to permanently guide the restoration and maintenance of this national treasure.

Ahuena Heiau Inc. continues to partner with the Royal Order of Kamehameha I Moku o Kona, has a working relationship with Bishop Museum and consults with founding committee member Herb Kane.

Ongoing initiatives include an annual maintenance schedule, engaging the community in the heiau’s preservation, maintenance and education programs, fundraising and addressing long-term needs.

Since its inception, Ahuena Heiau Inc. has functioned independently and has never been affiliated with any other organization. Its mission is clear and the organization has a sole purpose-to preserve, protect and maintain this treasured site.