► Molokai's Ilili-Opae: Dedication -11

Honolulu Star Bulletin. Friday, January 25, 1957 - Tales about Hawaii, Clarice B. Taylor

     Iliili-opae Heiau at Mapulehu was a beautiful and awe inspiring sight when completed.

     The king and high priests who had supervised the work aimed to have the temple appear so pleasing in the eyes of the heavenly hosts, that the spirits of the gods would come down during the temple dedication ceremony and enter into the images prepared for their reception.

     It was for this reason that the king and chiefs and supplied over 400 images to adorn the walls and the path leading to the temple.

     But the heiau could not be dedicated until two important things had been obtained.

HUMAN SACRIFICE
     A special aha (offering) had to be made for the altar and there must be an important human sacrifice.

      The special mat was a braided mat made of ekaha, a species of seaweed which grew on the ocean floor at great depths. The ekaha seaweed was braided into a mat with coconut fibers.

     To obtain the seaweed was difficult. Sometimes fishermen hunted for months even years before finding the tangled seaweed.

     The dedication of the heiau was held up during the search.

     The search for a human sacrifice was not so difficult.

     The favorite method was for the king to conduct a raiding of his neighbors or go to war.

     If successful (or is his gods approved) He secured the king and high chief of his enemy for his sacrifice and at the same time could offer up the other victims of his war with their leader.

     The more human sacrifices the better.

     If possible, the king made war against a rebel chief and captured the rebel for his sacrifice.

     Such an offering had great mana (spiritual power). The higher the cast of the offering, the greater the mana obtained.

     The classical example of obtaining a sacrifice was that used by Kamehameha when he offered Keoua-of-the-Sacred-Altar as a sacrifice at Puukahala.

     Keoua was lured by overtures of peace to come to Kawaihae. When he stared to land, Keoua and his companion chiefs were struck down to provide the sacrifices.

     The dedication services themselves were prolonged and severe.

NEXT: The Service