DLNR HISTORIC SITES CALENDAR 1986
Cover: Pu`ukohola Heiau National Historic Site, Kawaihae, Hawai`i Island, National Historic Landmark. Only the massive stone platforms remain today of this great temple, constructed by Kamehameha I in 1790-91. It was dedicated to his family war god and was the last major religious structure of the ancient Hawaiian culture built in the islands.
A major function of the State Historic Preservation program is the management of archaeological resources throughout the State. Hawaiian Archaeology studies the past culture of the islands by investigating sites and other physical remains. Most of the activities of ancient Hawaiians left material traces. These remains are not scattered randomly across the landscape, but rather form patterns. It is from the study of these patterns that archaeologists build their picture of past history and culture.
Archaeologists have begun to decipher or translate the "code" represented by archaeological remains into coherent accounts of the lifeways of the ancient Hawaiians. Thus, in a sense, each archaeological site is a fragment of unwritten history. Some sites offer entire chapters on early Hawai`i, while others represent a few tattered sentences blurred and eroded by time. Together, the archaeological resources of these islands constitute a silent library, containing the story of some 60 generations of the Hawaiian people.
Evidence presently available indicated that the first Polynesian settlers arrived in Hawai`i around A.D. 300-500. By the end of the 18th century the population of the islands had increased to between 200,000 and 300,000. The Hawaiian chiefdoms, which had achieved a high degree of social and political complexity before contact with western civilization in 1778, were supported by an economic system that depended on a wide variety of maritime and terrestrial resources, extending from sea level to the upper slopes of 13,796-foot Mauna Kea.
Although ancient population tended to be concentrated within a few hundred yards of the coast, archaeological remains are often found to be densely distributed throughout the length of major valleys and on slopes to at least a 2,500-foot elevation. The Western settlement patters of the past 200 years have had a similar geographic distribution, with the result that major portions of the archaeological record have been obliterated.
The last few years have seen an intensification of archaeological research in Hawai`i and a broadening of its focus as well. Until recently, the only sites that received attention were certain heiau (places of worship), fishponds and other sites that were highly visible and/or well known for traditional or historical reasons. It is becoming increasingly clear now that smaller, relatively humble sites contain a wealth of information concerning the culture and history of pre-contact Hawai`i. In addition, the study of whole districts, often including hundreds of related features, has been found to provide significant information.
On occasion, modest or buried sites are only discovered when disturbed. If such a site is accidentally uncovered, it is important not to remove anything from the ground as the location of material can sometimes be more important than the material itself.
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