A wide, flat openspace like a parade ground tops the hill on which the ruins of the Haleki'i-Pihana heiau stand. Iao Valley and the West Maui Mountains in the background. - Footprints in Paradise: Photos of Maui & the Hawaiian Islands

This part of the island is dominated by the cloud-capped heights of the West Maui Mountains, the other member of the pair of volcanoes (which includes Haleakala) responsible for the formation of Maui.

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Michael Garrison > Standing on the highest point of the ruins of the Haleki'i-Pihana heiau site, west Maui, looking down onto Kahului Bay.

Michael Garrison > A portion of the ruins of the Haleki'i-Pihana heiau near Wailuku, north Maui.

Michael Garrison > Detail of plaque showing rock-wall foundations, which are all that survived after the heiau site was abandoned. Note that the terraces of the foundations are still easy to spot in the ruins as they are today.

Michael Garrison > The Needle, Iao Valley, West Maui Mountains, Maui.

The valley holds a great deal of religious, cultural, and historical significance for native hawaiians. Before white settlement, Iao Valley was the site of the Makahiki (literally "the rising of the constellation the Pleiades"), a four-month-long harvest festival held in honor of Lono, the god of fertility and peace. During the festival, all fighting ceased; feasting, athletic competitions, and joyful debauchery prevailed. It is said that, even to this day, processions of long-dead royalty marching to ghostly drumbeats are seen at the old Makahiki sites. In the 1980s, native hawaiian groups revived the observance of Makahiki to encourage the renewal of traditional traditions.

Michael Garrison > Even paved hiking trails and steel pedestrian bridges can't take away the magic and feeling of "Mana" in I'oa Valley, in the heart of the West Maui Mountains.

Michael Garrison > Lush rainforest growth on the steep slopes of Iao Valley, west Maui.

Michael Garrison > Iao Stream in the West Maui Mountains.

As part of his campaign to unite all the islands, in 1790, King Kamehameha I attacked Kahului village, driving the defenders up into the steepest parts of the valley. They were mercilessly slaughtered at a place called Kepaniwai ("the Damming of the Waters"), where the bodies of the fallen choked the Iao Stream, causing its waters to run red with their blood.

Michael Garrison > An unexpected surprise: leaf-wrapped stream cobbles left as offerings to ancestor spirits. Streamside in I'ao Valley, west Maui. One finds these offerings along the banks of secluded streams, in wooden fisherman's shrines on lonely beaches no one uses, and on upcountry trails. They mean something to whomever placed them and it's most respectful not to disturb them.

A wide, flat openspace like a parade ground tops the hill on which the ruins of the Haleki'i-Pihana heiau stand. Iao Valley and the West Maui Mountains in the background.

Michael Garrison > A wide, flat openspace like a parade ground tops the hill on which the ruins of the Haleki'i-Pihana heiau stand. Iao Valley and the West Maui Mountains in the background.

A wide, flat openspace like a parade ground tops the hill on which the ruins of the Haleki'i-Pihana heiau stand. Iao Valley and the West Maui Mountains in the background.

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Keywords: heiau halekii pihana heiau hawaiian archeology