#10 - Keōua Stone

A place where myth, legend, and history combine.

NPS

Quick Facts

Location:

Puʻuhonua, north of ʻĀleʻaleʻa platform

Significance:

Historical

Designation:

National Register of Historic Places

Amenities

3 listed

Audio Description, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Scenic View/Photo Spot

A relic that crosses the era of myth into the historical period, this stone is a memory from a distant past.

According to legend, this rock was used as a resting place by an 18th century high chief of Kona, Kalani Keōuakupuapaʻīkalaninui Ahilapalapa, where he could sit and survey the farmlands and fisheries of his domain.

However, the stone itself may be of an even more distant era. In one legendary tradition, the stone is said to have been brought to the island of Hawaiʻi from Kaua‘i and carried to this spot on the back of a giant chief. While other sources speculate that the stone may be a relic of the Pōhaku Kālai o ‘Umi, cut-stones said to have been made on the orders of ruling chief ʻUmi ā Liloa in the early 1500’s in an effort to build a hale poki out of shaped stone.

Imagine the stories a stone could tell if we could speak its language. Legends have an ability to stir the imagination and are an important part of cultural identity. Do these moʻolelo or tales of old remind you of folktales and legends your parents or grandparents may have told? What legends can you recall from your home?