The Maui News
WAILUKU–Lāna’i Culture & Heritage Center led a group of volunteers to a sacred and remote heiau on Sunday. The stewardship day took place at Hi’i Agricultural Heiau, located about two miles from Koele.
The center’s volunteers have worked for the last nine years to protect and preserve the site, which includes an ancient heiau and remnants of traditional house sites.
Efforts have been ongoing since 2015 to eliminate introduced trees and clear invasive plants from the area to open up the canopy and restore the native understory.
This heiau was first documented during a 1920s archaeology study by visiting archaeologist Kenneth Emory whose guide revealed the history of the area. In summer 2016, student participants in Lāna’i CHC’s cultural literacy program remapped the area.
Hi’i is a place of cultural significance. It sits on terraced land that’s about 1,100 feet above sea level on rich agricultural area, stewarded in traditional times by native Hawaiians.
Lāna’i CHC brings the community together to preserve and protect important cultural sites across the island including Hi’i.