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SCR22
THE SENATE
S.C.R. NO.
22
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026
STATE OF HAWAII
SENATE CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION
RECOGNIZING the fiftieth anniversary of the restoration
of ahu
ʻ
ena heiau
and AFFIRMing its unparalleled role in the spiritual, political, and cultural
history of the state
.
����
WHEREAS, Ahu
ʻ
ena Heiau is located
at Kamakahonu, traditionally known as the "eye of the turtle", within
the ahupua
ʻ
a of
Lanihau in Kailua, Kona, on the island of Hawai
ʻ
i,
and is among the most historically and culturally significant sites in the
Hawaiian Islands; and
����
WHEREAS, Ahu
ʻ
ena Heiau served as
the religious temple of Kamehameha the Great, following his conquest of the
Hawaiian Island and return to Hawai
ʻ
i
Island in 1812, and functioned as the center of political and spiritual
governance during the final years of his reign; and
����
WHEREAS, during
Kamehameha the Great's golden years, his most trusted advisors convened nightly
at Ahu
ʻ
ena Heiau,
where matters of governance, loyalty, agriculture, and the welfare of chiefs
and commoners deliberated, and where his heir, Liholiho, who would become
Kamehameha II, was instructed in the responsibilities of leadership; and
����
WHEREAS, Ahu
ʻ
ena Heiau was the site
of several pivotal moments in Hawaiian history, including the death of
Kamehameha I on May 8, 1819; the abolition of the kapu system later that year
by Kamehameha II, which averted civil war and forever transformed Hawaiian
governance and society; and the grant of permission for the first Christian
missionaries from New England to come ashore on April 4, 1820; and
����
WHEREAS, Kamakahonu
was also home to Governor John Adams Kuakini, a residence of King Kal
ākaua, and a place of refuge
for Prince William Pitt Leleiohoku II, further underscoring the site's central
role in the political and royal history of the Hawaiian Kingdom
; and
����
WHEREAS, constructed
before his establishment as ruler of a united Hawaii in 1812, Kamehameha the
Great restored and maintained Ahu
ʻ
ena
Heiau until his death in 1819, as documented by John Papa
Ī
ʻ
ī
who described
Ahu
ʻ
ena
Heiau as a Hale o Lono where religious ceremony, governance, and instruction of
future rulers took place; and
����
WHEREAS,
Kamakahonu was designated a National Historic Landmark on December 29, 1962,
and was placed on the Hawai
ʻ
i
Register of Historic Places on July 17, 1993, in recognition of its exceptional
national and state significance; and
����
WHEREAS, more
than one hundred fifty years after the historic events that defined Ahu
ʻ
ena Heiau, an accurate
archaeological restoration began in 1975 through a collaboration between the Bernice
P. Pauahi Bishop Museum, community members, cultural practitioners, and
archaeologists; and
����
WHEREAS, reconstruction
of Ahu
ʻ
ena Heiau
began in 1975 and was guided by archaeological research and historical
documentation, including the 1816 sketches of Louis Choris, with design
contributions by Herb Kawainui K
āne
and fieldwork led by distinguished scholars and practitioners, including Dr.
Yoshihiko H. Sinoto, Dr. Kenneth P. Emory, Patrick V. Kirch, and many dedicated
community members
; and
����
WHEREAS, the
restoration effort relied upon extraordinary community support, including the
donation of materials, labor, and cultural knowledge, the processing of
approximately two hundred fifty thousand t
ī leaves for thatching, and the careful reconstruction of
traditional structures using historically accurate methods
; and
����
WHEREAS,
restoration of Ahu
ʻ
ena
Heiau and the adjacent Hale Nana Mahina
ʻ
ai
was completed in March 1977, returning the site to its appearance and dignity
as it stood during the time of Kamehameha the Great; and
����
WHEREAS, Ahu
ʻ
ena Heiau, Inc., a
federally recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization incorporated in 1993, was
established to guide the long-term preservation, maintenance, and cultural
stewardship of the site and to promote appreciation and understanding of
Hawaiian history; and
����
WHEREAS, the
stewardship of Ahu
ʻ
ena
Heiau, Inc., is guided by cultural protocol and
ʻ
ike
kupuna, with ongoing cultural restoration supported by the Royal Order of
Kamehameha and its Ali
ʻ
i
ʻ
Aimoku Ali
ʻ
i and by the continued
care of dedicated directors, officers, and cultural practitioners; and
����
WHEREAS, the
land upon which Ahu
ʻ
ena
Heiau stands has passed through generations of ali
ʻ
i, private ownership, and stewardship,
and is currently owned by HKK Hawai
ʻ
i,
LLC, which continues to support the upkeep and maintenance of this sacred and
historic site; and
����
WHEREAS, the
fiftieth anniversary of the restoration of Ahu
ʻ
ena
Heiau provides an important opportunity to honor the vision, scholarship,
community advocacy, and cultural commitment that returned this national
treasure to the people of Hawai
ʻ
i
and ensured its preservation for future generations; now, therefore,
����
BE IT
RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii,
Regular Session of 2026, the House of Representatives concurring, that this
body recognizes the fiftieth anniversary of the restoration of Ahu
ʻ
ena Heiau and affirms
its unparalleled role in the spiritual, political, and cultural history of the
State; and
����
BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that this body expresses its deepest appreciation to the k
ū
puna
; cultural practitioners;
archaeologists; historians; community members;
Ahu
ʻ
ena Heiau, Inc.; and
all those whose dedication and stewardship have preserved Ahu
ʻ
ena Heiau as a living
place of history, learning, and reverence; and
����
BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to
the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Bishop Museum, Chairperson of the
Board of Directors of Ahu
ʻ
ena
Heiau, Inc., and General Manager of the Courtyard by Marriott King Kamehameha
Kona Beach Hotel.
OFFERED BY:
_____________________________
Report Title:
�
Ahu
ʻ
ena Heiau; Historic
Preservation; Commemoration