These are Birthing Stones

Kukaniloko Birthing Stones

For many years now, I have wanted to pay a visit to these stones and today I was able to see them. They are not just any old rocks protruding from the ground but they are birthing stones that wives of ancient Hawaiian chiefs used to use as tools for birthing. There are a few dozens rocks that lay here and as a historical site, these stones are protected by the State of Hawaii. Some of these stones were curved in ways that could caress the bodies of the women allowing them different positions of comfort for ease of birthing. I also speculate that other rocks were used to lean on for standing birth. One stone was marked with a faint petroglyph carved on it. They were used for birthing for over 800 years. Click here to see other views of these stone on facebook.

Hands, Feet, Mouth, Toes and Ears

An art student at the University of Hawaii sculpted hands, toes, feet, mouths, and ears in an entire set of rocks that are used as a walkway for as part of the project to get a MFA. They were interesting to find and more interesting to find out about.

Original Petroglyphs

A friend and I hiked into the hills of an undisclosed place on Oahu to seek out the original petroglyphs of the ancient Hawaiians and we found a few of them. Here is a photo of three dogs engraved into a giant boulder that has survived over a century of weathering. It was on my bucket list to see them in their original form and environment and they were breathtaking. Click here to see more photos on facebook.

"This is Not a Stone, He is a Man."

Click here to see the other side of Pohaku-Loa of Punahou

The late Glen Grant, Hawaiian historian, author, and folklorist, wrote the Obake Files, Ghostly Encounters in Supernatural Hawaii. In it he tells a story of Pohaku-Loa of Punahou, a "tall, sacred rock nearly five feet tall that stands at the corner of Punahou and Wilder Avenues." When Punahou lands was first given to the missionaries for a school an overseer and his men attempted to dislodge Pohaku-Loa of Punahou to move it to it's proper area but the harder they worked the more it planted itself into the ground. A kahuna was consulted and it was believed that there was a demigod that was living in the stone. The kahuna stated, "This is not a stone, it is a man. He is not to be forced, but coax him and he will go." They prepared an elaborate luau feast for him and everyone was invited. The next day it was asked to move and a very large and powerful chief Paki, wrapped his arms around the stone and lifted it, and to everyone's amazement, the rock moved itself to it's current location. Some years later, Pohaku-Loa was split into two and the other half was taken to Kapi'olani Maternity Home then located on Beratania Street. It then became the property of the Japanese consulate for a few years when the maternity home left. When the Japanese consulate left Beratania Street, that other half was missing." What is left is the above image of the stone with the plaque of Punahou School embedded in it.