Wao Akua

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Kuahiwi

Here, at the highest peak in all of the Pacific, we have reached the most sacred realm of the wao akua, the kuahiwi, or summit region of Maunakea, Mauna a Wākea. Home to a multitude of akua, including Poliahu, Waiau, Lilinoe, Kalauakolea, and Kaneikawaiola, this region was, and is held in the highest of reverence. Known as the "piko o Wākea," this is the highest kānaka could ascend in to the realm of Wākea, the akua of the broad expanse and a progenitor of all Kānaka. Here, the piko of newborn children are deposited by some ʻohana, and the iwi of our aliʻi are interred. Here the experiences of ascending the ala ʻūlili culminate with a sense of the highest fulfillment of human potential, where kānaka, ʻāina, and akua converge.

Since the 1960s, however, this region has been exploited and desecrated for the "development" of the "Mauna Kea Science Reserve," where 13 astronomical telescopes have been constructed to date. There are currently efforts to protect our sacred mauna from further desecration. Visit the KAHEA (The Hawaiian-Environmental Alliance) website to learn more.

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Hoʻi i ke ala ʻūlili.

Return to the Ala ʻŪlili.

Iho i kai.

Descend to the Wao Akua.