The entire ahupua'a of Hālawa is highly sacred to
Kanaka Maoli. At the far Makai (ocean) side at
Pu'uloa or
Pearl Harbor, it is, according to Kanaka Maoli beliefs, the home of the shark goddess
Ka'ahupahau, known as the "Queen of Sharks", who protected O'ahu and strictly enforced kind, fair behavior on the part of both sharks and humans. Until the late 1890s, the home of Ka'ahupahau was famously lined with beds of pearl oysters, however, according to Kanaka Maoli religious experts who follow the goddess, Ka'ahupahau removed all of the oysters (and some say, herself) because the area was being abused by human misdeeds. Today, the water of Pearl Harbor has been highly contaminated by nuclear defueling and other toxic influences, and has thereby been designated as a
Superfund site. The upland, or Mauka, portion of Hālawa is sacred to
Papahānaumoku, the Kanaka Maoli form of
Mother Earth, as it is, according to legend, her birthplace and primary home, as well as one of only two or three known remaining
Hale o Papa, women's temples where Papa is worshipped. The valley contains many religious and other cultural sites sacred to Kanaka Maoli. Although many sites were destroyed by the invasion of
Kahekili II and especially by the building of the highly controversial
H-3 Freeway, many remain and are cared for by Kanaka Maoli
Aloha 'Aina practitioners to this day. In the last two decades, North Hālawa has been the site of a very public battle over the religious sites and ecological resources destroyed by H-3, which is the most expensive freeway per mile in human history. At least two species were driven to probable extinction (none have been sighted since construction began), many more are declining rapidly, the main aquifer of the area was badly damaged, and religious sites were seriously impacted. Although the freeway was opened in 1997, many are still fighting for mitigation of these impacts, and some are asking for the freeway's closure. In 1993, thirteen
cultural practitioners were arrested while conducting a ceremony to pray for the healing of the valley. Their lele (religious altar) was destroyed, and the caretakers of the area were barred from entrance to the sites. Today, some of these caretakers, many of them kupuna (elders), have returned to care for the sites, although they now do so through a layer of soot and with the roar of the freeway as a constant sonic backdrop. Many kanaka maoli do not use the freeway because of these impacts, and because of the lasting belief that the road is haunted—an often-attributed explanation for the high accident rate on the freeway (more generally believed to be caused by the high speeds often used by the motorists who traverse it). There is evidence in the documentary record that upper Hālawa was highly significant to Kanaka Maoli. Most of the evidence may be, however, be in the oral record. The Hale O Papa and luakini are mentioned in the massive collection of Bishop Museum reports that took many years to finally be released. However, there was no archaeological evidence that these structures existed by the time of highway construction. The area has been greatly impacted by
sugarcane plantations, homesteading, and light industrial use. The site of Waipao Heiau, for example, is currently occupied by a food distribution warehouse. The Papa temples were associated with the great Ku temples (luakini), which demanded human sacrifice and were usually in areas of greater population and state sponsorship. Without a luakini, there would be no Hale o Papa, according to Samuel Kamakau (see Bishop Museum, H-3 project reports). ==Neighborhoods==