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The University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa is striving to become a Native Hawaiian place of learning. As part of this effort, we developed a huaka‘i (fieldtrip) to explore the intertwined geological, historical, and cultural influences on our campus. Our purpose is two-fold: (1) to showcase an example of how science can be taught in ways that honor Hawaiian culture and history; and (2) to stimulate interest and collaborations among faculty to develop additional place-based curricula offerings that draw connections between Hawaiian culture and Western science. Evaluations of a pilot fieldtrip generated considerable positive and constructive feedback, which was used to significantly improve the fieldtrip. In this paper, we share an abbreviated version of the current fieldtrip, and sincerely welcome any additional comments and suggestions.
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This content will become publicly available on December 1, 2025
Scientific aspects of Hāpaiali‘i heiau
A heiau is a Hawaiian pre-Christian place of worship composed of rocks and holding historical and cultural significance, with a variety of uses ranging from worship to rituals. The scientific origins of Hawaiian heiau have yet to be fully inspected in the literature. This paper covers Hāpaialiʻi heiau on the island of Hawai‘i and its main function as a seasonal calendar through continuous observation of the sunrise and sunset locations over the sea horizon. Understanding the calendar functionality of the heiau contributes an essential step towards understanding Hawaiians’ use of indigenous science. This study mathematically investigates the sacred structure’s functionality with numerical accuracy and scientific rigour. A brief overview of the history of the Kahaluʻu area and the surrounding heiau provides important context for the heiau’s significance. This study reports and analyses the heiau’s relevant history, cultural significance and reconstruction by Kamehameha Schools. The importance of the calendar lies in the determination of the responsibilities for the current season, indicating which crops are to be harvested and which fish are in the mating season. In the mathematical analysis, the coordinates of the stones within the heiau are independently measured using Google Earth and Google Maps. The relative distances and angles between the internal stones are calculated using Google Sheets and Matlab to discover the underlying sciences possibly used by ancient native Hawaiians.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2034824
- PAR ID:
- 10581798
- Publisher / Repository:
- The Polynesian Society
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Waka Kuaka | The Journal of the Polynesian Society
- Volume:
- 133
- Issue:
- 4
- ISSN:
- 2816-1580
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 465 to 478
- Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
- Makahiki, season, haversine, calendar, sunset
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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