Kūkaniloko Birth Site | |
 View from park entrance toward Kolekole Pass | |
  | |
| Nearest city | Wahiawa, Hawaii |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 21°30′17″N158°2′11″W / 21.50472°N 158.03639°W /21.50472; -158.03639 |
| Area | 5 acres (2.0 hectares) |
| Built | prior to the 13th century |
| Architectural style | Ancient Hawaiian |
| NRHP reference No. | 73000674 and 94001640[1] |
| Added to NRHP | April 11, 1973 (original) and February 09, 1995 (increase) |
Kūkaniloko Birth Site, also known as theKūkaniloko Birthstones State Monument, is one of the most important ancient cultural sites on the island ofOʻahu. In 1973, it was first listed on theNational Register of Historic Places and its boundaries were increased in 1995,[1] after 5 acres (2.0 ha) of land which included the site became astate park in 1992.[2] The site was the location for some of Hawaiʻi's royal births, and may have served an astronomical function.
Kūkaniloko lies in the WahiawāPlateau between Oʻahu's twomountain ranges: theWaiʻanae toleeward, and theKoʻolau towindward. It also lies at the intersection of two major paths of foot travel: the Waialua Trail between theNorth Shore andʻEwa Beach, and the Kolekole Trail through the Waiʻanae Range.[2]
The site is not only the place from which the history and power of the island was birthed, known as apiko, but its placement across from the Waiʻanae Range may have been used as a calendar. The sun has used by observing its position at Kūkaniloko using certain markers.
The present day location is near the intersection ofKamehameha Highway and Whitmore Avenue, just north ofWahiawā, Hawaiʻi.[3]
Kūkaniloko, meaning "to anchor the cry from within," is the geographic piko of Oʻahu. Kūkaniloko was symbolically the most powerful birth site for the island's high chiefs,[4] among whomKakuhihewa andMaʻilikūkahi were perhaps most famous. At this site, women gave birth toaliʻi children, surrounded by ali'i witnesses.[3] At the Kūkaniloko birthstone, children born were required to learn the traditions and leaderships of their ancestors in the sites and surroundings.
The HoʻolonopahuHeiau associated with the site was later destroyed, as were many others in the area, to make room forsugarcane andpineapple fields in the rich soils wheresweet potato andyam once grew in abundance. Chiefly families lived along the slopes of the Waiʻanae overlooking the plateau and along the shores of Waialua to the north, and many key battles between rivals for control of Oʻahu were also fought on the central plains surrounding Kūkaniloko.[2]
In 1925, a group called the Daughters of Hawaii recognized and protected the Kūkaniloko Birthstones site. In 1960, Kūkaniloko was passed to Hawaiian Civic Club of Wahiawā.[5]
In August 2023, the site was threatened by a nearby wildfire.[6]
From as early as 1100 until the mid-1600s, fathers and 35 other chiefs would witness the birth of a chief at Kūkaniloko, which was announced by the playing ofsacred drums. These 36 witnesses are symbolized by 36 stones in the complex. The newborn chief would then be taken to a nearby temple for purification, severing of the umbilical cord, and a reading of the newborn's genealogy.[7]
The wide view of the skies from Kūkaniloko might also have made it akin to a HawaiianStonehenge.[8] In April 2000, a team from theUniversity of Hawaiʻi Institute for Astronomy recorded designs and shapes on the stones that could have been used to track the movements ofcelestial objects forcalendrical purposes.[9]
