Living Spiritual Temple-Mo'o'kini Heiau

Mo’okini Heiau sits high on a knoll and enjoys a panoramic view of the Upolu Point of Kohala and the distant shores of Maui. It stands in the center of a once-royal complex that was a vital center of sacred and secular power. It is one of the first luakini heiau (temple of human sacrifice) built by the Tahitian Priest Paao in the 12^th century. Legend has it that it was the site of countless thousands of human sacrifices to the gods. The current site includes remains of the sacrificial temple measuring 250' x 130' with an open stone paved court enclosed by 20-foot-high stone walls and the sacrificial stone. According to oral tradition it was built in one night by 15-20,000 men passing stones to one another from the Niuli’i, nine miles away.

The Tahitians believed that there was not enough respect on the part of resident Hawaiians for the gods, and they set out to strengthen the kapu system by building this temple and enforcing the strict laws of the land (kapu). Paao summoned the warrior chief Pili who brought stones from one of the most sacred sacrificial temples in Tahiti and placed the bodies of fresh victims beneath these stones used as pillars to consecrate Mo’okini Heiau. Mu, or body catchers, collected the humans to be sacrificed. These were most often conquered warriors or members of the slave class. Women and children were generally spared. The bodies of the victims were then baked and the flesh removed from the bones. The bones were used for fish hooks or parts for weapons.

The oldest, largest, and most sacred heiau in old Hawaii is all that remains of the royal Kohala complex dismantled by sugar plantation owners in the 19^th century. To Hawaiians it is a living spiritual temple and not a cultural artifact.

It was long held to be strictly kapu to visit, but In November of 1978 Kahuna Nui Leimomi Mo'okini Lum rededicated the Mo'okini Luakini to the "Children of the Land" and lifted the restrictive Kapu. In doing this she made it safe for all persons to enter the Heiau and created a new legacy for the Mo'okini Luakini as a place of learning for future generations to discover the past. Kahuna Nui Lum followed closely the wishes of her father Kahuna Nui Dewey O. Mo'okini who visualized this sacred site as one for the children of Hawai'i and the entire world. 

Take Highway 270 north from Kawaihae. Near Mile Marker #20 turn left at the sign to Upolu Airport. Just before the airport, turn left on the unmarked dirt road and travel approximately 2 miles. The site is on hill to the left.  Research for Wai-nani, A Voice from Old Hawai’i became a beautiful obsession that called for numerous trips to the Islands. I visited sacred sites, interviewed elders, spent nights in Waipio Valley where the bones of ancient chiefs are hidden in caves in steep walls framing the canyon. .www.lindaballouauthor.com

Warm Aloha for Wai-nani at Redondo Slack Key Fest

I am honored to be a guest speaker at the VIP Meet and Greet Reception to kick off the largest gathering of great slack key artists on the West Coast.  Thanks to James Kimo West,

 who will be playing with other masters on the main stage of the Redondo Beach Slack Key Fest, I was invited to share my book-

James Kimo West

Wai-nani, High Chiefess of Hawai'i who speaks directly to the reader from the spirit well. Inspired by the life of the precocious  Ka'humanu who rose to become the most powerful woman in old Hawai'i the story spans the most dynamic period of Hawaiian History from 1750-1819.

Comic, producer, writer, actor and master of ceremonies Kamaka Brown will perform his orginal Hawaiian pidgin English stories about growing up in Hawai'i accompanied by beautiful Ki ho'alu style instruments.

Ono food, good company and a festive atmosphere promises to be a great evening for all who attend.
Tickets for this event include front row seats for the 2:00 PM performance at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center on Jan 19th. Purchase tickets at www.slackkeyfest.com

The Aloha Market Place filled with all things Hawaiian is open from 11:00 to 5:30 PM on the 19th is free to enter.

VIP Meet the Artists Reception is on Jan. 18th  from 5:30 to 8:30 at PS Zask Art Gallery
Promenade on the Peninsula, 550 Deep Valley Drive, Ste 151
Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274

Doing it My Way on the Hana Highway

The highway to Hana, Maui should be listed as another wonder of the world. Each day thousands traverse the narrow road that hugs the coast of southeast Maui. It is a miracle that the over fifty one-lane bridges, many of which are over a hundred years old, don’t collapse beneath the steady stream of cars. Drivers are rubber necking to see the most beautiful waterfall, and angling to find a pullout near unmarked trail heads to take a closer look. Pesky locals press tourists trying to take in the beauty on the unfamiliar curvaceous highway to go faster. That distracted drivers careening around blind curves don’t plunge over the steep precipice into deep gulches to an instant death is a mystery to me.

Chaos can be avoided if you do the highway my way. Make arrangements to spend at least two nights in Hana, rather than rushing in and out in one day to the Seven Sacred Pools aka O’hi’o Gulch. This gives you time to explore and make stops along the way. Fuel up at trendy Pa’ia, the gateway to Hana, where there are several good eateries. While you are there, stop at the Mana Food Store to pick up a few supplies for picnic lunches. Leave at about noon giving the rest of the travelers a head start.

 Stop at the Garden of Eden about halfway into the drive. There you will find miles of manicured lanes winding through an incredible array of tropical plants shaded by the canopy of towering mango, banyan, and enormous fanning palms. Viewing platforms framed in luxuriant foliage overlook a vast blue expanse of the Pacific and stunning Puohokamoa Falls. I strolled through the garden in reflective solitude on a sunny day in January, peak season in the Islands. When you leave the Garden of Eden keep an eye out for the trail head just past the eleven mile marker to the pool beneath Upper Puohokamoa Falls where you can take a dip.

I wanted to make this journey back to what is left of Old Hawaii to revisit a time when I was in formative stages. Seeing the lush tapestry of deep ravines cloaked in deep green and spiked with orange African tulips soothed my weary little soul way back then and still does today. I dropped out of society to live on the north shore of Kauai in 1978. I found peace there listening to the patter of rain on the leaves, lull of the surf breaking on the reef a half mile out, and waking to the chorus of birds. I remembered taking long walks on lonely beaches and just being there. I hoped Hana would allow me this once again.

There only a few places to stay in Hana: the exclusive Travassa Resort, a smattering of bed and breakfasts, or setting up camp at Wai’anapanapa-Black Sand Beach. The beach park is riddled with sacred sites, burial grounds, and caves that are easily accessed on a coastal trail that wraps the bay. Ferocious bearded monsters pummeling the black lava into sand make a dramatic show, but don’t make for safe swimming.  I found an eco-lodge tucked in the Hana Botanical Garden close to the beach park. The entrance to Kahanu gardens, the site of the largest and one of the best preserved heiau (temple) in the Hawaiian Islands was about a half mile from my rustic digs. You must make reservations to tour this 15^th century heiau that spans three acres.

Hamoa Beach-Hana

I rose early and drove through sparkling, dew-laden meadows stopping to take in splendid Wai-lua Falls along the way to Haleakala National Park. I was eager to hike the Pipiwai Trail, a root and rock strewn path that traces a death-defying gorge up to the Waimoku Falls, a 400-foot plunge down a sheer rock face. A portion of the track took me though a towering wind-whipped bamboo forest that felt like being inside a giant wind chime. By the time I got back to park headquarters the tourist vans had arrived. I shared the famous Seven Sacred Pools with other travelers from around the globe. Bracing, sweet water spilling over rock ledges to form three large pools did not disappoint. I swam in the second pool that is said to “free limitations.”

The rest of day was spent lollygagging at a scalloped-shaped cove where gentle, turquoise waves curl onto a powdery sand shore. Hamoa Beach, by far the best swimming beach at this end of the world, is not to be missed

Ka'ahumanu (Wai-nani ) as I see her

Kauai is where I fell in love with the relaxed ways of the Islands, the warmth of the people, and beauty without end. That is where I met Captain James Cook, Kamehameha the Great, and his favorite wife Ka’ahumanu who became the inspiration for my novel Wainani; A Voice from Old Hawai’i. She was a royal whose mother hid in a cave here in water-rich Hana so that her child would not be killed by her jealous ex-lover, the ferocious ruler of Maui.  Hanalei on the north shore of Kauai, most recently the backdrop for the film The Descendants, was a sleepy, backwater when I was there. That is what Hana still is today—remote, rugged, rainy, undisturbed, gorgeous, and inhabited by a few lucky souls who want to keep it that way.

On the way back to civilization I enjoyed a diversion to the Ke’anae Peninsula. This road hugs a dramatic coastline and deposits you at a handy beach park. While sitting beneath a broad-leafed tree on a rock perch watching enormous swells cresting into foaming white against jutting lava, it became clear to me; the searing sunsets, the embrace of warm translucent waters, the endless azure skies, and the wind voices had spoken. My imagination was ignited once again by primal elements; earth, wind, fire and the ceaseless energy of sea as sure as these Islands continue to be forged by them today— and forever will be.

Take Maui Revealed by Andrew Doughty with you. It is an excellent guide to the Hana Highway experience.

Hana Maui home page

http://www.hanamaui.com/

http://www.hanamaui.com/lodging/

Happy Birthday to Ka'ahumanu the Most Powerful Woman in Old Hawai'i

On March 17, 1768 Ka’ahumanu was born in a cave at the fortress hill of Ka’uiki in Hana. The fierce Moi of Maui, once her mother’s lover, became so enraged when she chose Ke’eamuoku over him that he set his warriors upon her parents. They chased them through Haleakala Crater, but lost them in thick mountain forests. While Ka’ahumanu was still a baby her parents fled Hana to Hawai’i where they lived in royal comfort. Wai-nani, the voice from old Hawai’i in my historical novel (1750-1819) is inspired by the precocious Chiefess Ka’ahumanu. Instrumental in ending the 2,000-year-old Kapu system and the burning of the gods, to some she is remembered as the” loving mother of the people” and to others she is the hated “flaw that brought down the chiefdom.”

Six feet tall, fiery, statuesque, elegant on the land and in the sea, she became Kamehameha the Great’s wife at age 13. He was so taken by her keen intelligence, and athletic abilities that even though a childless bride, she remained his favorite wife throughout his 40-year reign. The most beloved royals in Hawaiian lore could be seen skittering across the waves on massive koa wood boards together. On his deathbed in 1819 Kamehameha made her Kuhina Nui giving her equal weight to rule with his son.

She questioned the practice of separate eating places for women and men, defied rules restricting woman from eating eat certain foods like red bananas and pork. She questioned the authority of the priests who meted out dreadful punishments for minor infractions claiming to be living under the instructions of the gods. How courageous she was to don the yellow feather cape of ruling Ali’i after Kamehameha’s death and to sit down to eat with his son declaring herself his equal as she licked pork from her fingers.

She is not looked upon with great favor by some because when the missionaries arrived in 1820 she befriended them and converted to Christianity. She encouraged her people floundering in a spiritual vacuum to follow suit.

Ka’ahumanu stirred my imagination and won my admiration. Brave, athletic, strong, passionate, caring and centered in herself, I saw her as a forerunner of the modern woman. I was introduced to her in the 70’s during a time when women were breaking out of accepted molds. Ka’ahumanu seemed to me to be a powerful personage that embodied female empowerment overlooked by western historians.

Written With Warm Aloha                                                     
In the Name of Ka’ahumanu

Sacred Historical Sites #2-Wayfinders of Old Hawai'i

Debate over whether or not early Polynesian voyagers were able to navigate their double hulled canoes back to homelands to gather supplies and recruits to colonize the Islands raged for years. The canoes paddled by the ancients were dug out from tree trunks and made from planks sewn together with cordage of coconut fiber twisted into strands and braided for strength. Cracks and seams were sealed with coconut fibers and sap from breadfruit or other trees. An outrigger was attached to a single hull for greater stability on the ocean; two hulls were lashed together with crossbeams and a deck added between the hulls to create double canoes capable of voyaging long distances. Scholars could not believe that these canoes navigated without instruments by seafarers who depended on their observations of the ocean currents, scent on the winds, clouds in the sky and messages from birds could follow these clues to an intentional landfall. Legend has it that a migrating whale led early voyagers to the Hawaiian Islands.

In the 1970’s these doubts where overturned when the Hokule’a, named after the “Bright Star of Happiness” that rests over Hawaii, a reconstruction of an ancient voyaging canoe made the return voyage to Tahiti. This remarkable re-enactment, chronicled in An Ocean in Mind by Will Kyselka, put to rest any disbelief about the abilities of ancient Wayfinders. The Hokule’a and her crew continue to make voyages. You can learn more about them and follow the triumphant Hokule’a on the Polynesian Voyaging Society site.

Ko’a holo moana, is an ancient voyaging heiau – sometimes called the Stonehenge of the Islands. The existence of this little known site is more proof that the “people of old” knew a great deal more about navigation than once believed. The heiau that consists of a set of standing stones that led the way for ancient Polynesian sea voyagers. It is the only heiau of its kind in the Islands. It is located at Mahukona Point near mile marker 15 on the Akoni Highway on the Kohala Coast.
Get past the incongruous bagpipe opening of this informative video by Donnie MacGowen and witness this little known voyaging heiau.

Surf’s UP - Master of the Waves

 Did you ever try to imagine what it was like to be an expert surfer riding the biggest waves in the world? I spent hours watching surfers sift in and out of the waves at Surf Riders Beach in Malibu taking note of their every movement trying to capture in words what it must be like for them to ride the waves.

Clark Little’s incredible photography allowed me to be with him in the belly of thirty foot waves on the north shore of Oahu where he lives. He has mastered the fine art of capturing the dynamic energy of the waves with his camera. He rolls in the surf dangerously close to the crushing monsters to get the best shot.

If you look closely at this iconic shot you will see King Kamehameha the Great standing on the tip of the curl with his crested Helmut and sword in his hand. In my novel Wai-nani, High Chiefess of Hawaii, I describe the royals skittering across the waves on long koa boards. Wai-nani swims with her dolphin friend Eku and rides the waves with him, as well as her lover Makaha. Clarke’s award winning images inspired and excited my imagination. He took me as close to the shimmering heart of the waves as I ever will be.

Clark opened a second gallery on the mainland in Laguna Beach a year ago. Go to his site www.ClarkLittlePhotography.com

to view his gallery and receive notices of future events.

First Book Stories: Wai-nani High Chiefess of Hawaii Featured at The Professional Writer Connection

In celebration of authors, during the month of May, The Professional Writer Connection is hosting the first book stories of authors. Today, I am featured there with my first novel, Wai-nani.

Ano Ano (the seed) for Wai-nani High Chiefess of Hawai’i-Her Epic Journey took root in my heart thirty years ago when I lived on the north shore of Kauai. Since that time, I became a successful real estate sales person in Southern California, published numerous travel articles in national magazines and evolved as a human being. Self actualization on so many levels gave me the courage to tackle my long-buried dream of publishing the historical novel I’d quietly been working on all those years.
When I lived on Kauai, I became smitten with the great personage of Ka’ahumanu, a childless chiefess who was the favorite wife of Kamehameha the Great. This was in the late 70’s, a time when

Read more here at The Professional Writer Connection

Read about my first visit to The Book Connection

Big Fun on the Way

I have been chosen to be the Examiner for Los Angeles Outdoor Travel Column on Examiner.com

These articles will provide insider tips for great outdoor days in L.A.and surrounding areas. They will begin with hike details and end in a sweat-band friendly eatery. You will learn historical tidbits about a given region that will enhance your experience, as well as points of interest nearby the trail head that can round off and great outdoor day. I hope you will join me.

You can find me here at Examiner.

Breaking News: The Ugliest American I Ever Met: Wins Travel Writing Contest!!!!!

Here's a short excerpt of the writing piece that I wrote that garnerd first place at Exotic Visitors Writing conterst.

The Ugliest American I Ever Met
by Linda Ballou

Umbrellas strapped in tiny straight jackets stayed with the picnic tables that skidded across flooded St. Marks Square. We edged our way into Harry’s Bar and Grill, the only dry spot in Venice and bellied up to the bar. Grateful for seats, we sat down with a heavy sigh at the bar. The harried bartender scrambled to serve the shoulder to shoulder crowd. Patience brought us two bubbling Bellini’s—an apricot juice with champagne touted to bet Hemingway’s favorite libation. I toasted our good fortune with my friend.

We were on our second Bellini feeling “chumsy” and warm from the body heat in the room when the swinging front doors blew open. Gusts of cold air caused the group to rise in unison as though someone had pinched their collective bottoms. The door wouldn’t shut as more people huddled in the doorway trying to get out of the deluge. After unloading from the vaparetto with hair drenched and teeth clenched, Maury and Bernice elbowed their way into the bar. Bernice ruthlessly shoved customers out of her way.

“Get your fat ass off my foot”, she said, as she shoved a blond woman with her elbow.

Read more here; http://exoticvisitors.com/


**
I walk in beauty on the good red road.
Linda Ballou
www.lindaballou.com

Hawaiian Healing Holiday by Linda Ballou

Floating face up in the Watsu pool at the Kalani Ocean Retreat that is tucked into a remote corner of the Big Island in Hawaii, I drifted in a state of embryonic innocence. Sylvie, my provider, massaged my spine gently and rotated my limbs to release joint tension. This was the first of many experiences on my quest of a healing Hawaiian holiday that would include traditional lomi-lomi massage; interviewing Kumu Dane Silva, a respected native Hawaiian healer; a swim in a hot pond used for centuries by the ancestors to cleanse body, mind, and spirit; feeling the power of Pele, the volcano goddess; this is topped off with and an open air massage by the sea where wind, water, and sun stir the senses. On the Big Island, the nexus of the plexus for healing gurus of all stripes, there is a choice to fit every pocketbook.

Read more here; http://www.realtraveladventures.com/2Nov2009/healing_hawaiian_holiday.htm



I walk in beauty on the great red road
Linda Ballou
www.lindaballou.com

Contest Winner Receives Copy of Wai-nani, High Chiefess of Hawaii, Epic Journey

Congratulations to Darcy Danielson of Ashland, Oregon the winner of the signed copy of Wai-nani, High Chiefess of Hawai'i.

Darcy is heading for the Big Island in December. Reading Wai-nani will greatly enhance her experience of the Islands. Many of the historical sites mentioned in the story are easily accessed and enjoyed today. The cove next to the Place of Refuge is a wonderful place to snorkel. A miraid of colorfish are always there and dolphins often come here to rest after a night of fishing in deep waters.

Presently, I am working on a map that will help readers Walk with Wai-nani in the Footsteps of the Ancestors. If I have it completed before your departure, I will send one your way.

Congratulations Darcy.

Contest to Win a Free Autographed Copy of Wai-nani, High Chiefess of Hawaii – Her Epic Journey, the novel

An Autographed copy of Wai-nani, High Chiefess of Hawaii – Her Epic Journey will be awarded to one lucky person on July 15, 2010.

About the Book:

From the cauldron of controversy that is Hawaiian history, emerges Wai-nani, a reflection of the passionate chiefess Ka’ahumanu. Like all Islanders, she is a water baby finding pleasure, sustenance, solace, wisdom and courage in the ground and vibrant sea. She is born fifteen years prior to the landing of Captain Cook in Kealakekua in 1779, and is the favorite wife of Makaha, a fierce warrior modeled after Kamehameha the Great.

Hawaiian women enjoyed sports, were trained in martial arts, played active roles in decision-making and participated in wars. They communed with the gods through hula and ritualistic ceremonies. Wai-nani’s bond with Eku a playful and communicative dolphin – propels her on a mythological journey couched in magical realism.


Contest Rules;
1. You will need to leave a comment in the comment box and be sure to leave your correct e-mail so we can notify you if you are the winner.

OPTIONAL

2. IF you would like to become a subscriber click on the subscriber button to receive e-mail updates on all blog posts.
3. IF you would like to become a follower and receive email updates, click on the follow button

Good Luck!