Village[edit]

A traditional town of ancient Hawai?i included several structures. Listed in ord

er of importance:
Heiau, temple to the gods. They were built on high-rising stone terraces and ado
rned with wood and stone carved idols. A source of great mana or divine power, t
he heiau was restricted to ali?i, the king and kahuna, or priests.
Hale ali?i, the house of the chief. It was used as a residence for the high chie
f and meeting house of the lesser chiefs. It was always built on a raised stone
foundation to represent high social standing. Kahili, or feather standards, were
placed outside to signify royalty. Women and children were banned from entering
.
Hale pahu, the house of the sacred hula instruments. It held the pahu drums. It
was treated as a religious space as hula was a religious activity in honor of th
e goddess Laka.
Hale papa?a, the house of royal storage. It was built to store royal implements
including fabrics, prized nets and lines, clubs, spears and other weapons.
Hale ulana, the house of the weaver. It was the house where craftswomen would ga
ther each day to manufacture the village baskets, fans, mats and other implement
s from dried pandanus leaves called lauhala.
Hale mua, the men's eating house. It was considered a sacred place because it wa
s used to carve stone idols of ?aumakua or ancestral gods. Men and women could n
ot eat with each other for fear that men were vulnerable while eating to have th
eir mana, or divine spirit, stolen by women. Women ate at their own separate eat
ing house called the hale ?aina. The design was meant for the men to be able to
enter and exit quickly.
Hale wa?a, the house of the canoe. It was built along the beaches as a shelter f
or their fishing vessels. Hawaiians also stored koa logs used to craft the canoe
s.
Hale lawai?a, the house of fishing. It was built along the beaches as a shelter
for their fishing nets and lines. Nets and lines were made by a tough rope fashi
oned from woven coconut husks. Fish hooks were made of human, pig or dog bone. I
mplements found in the hale lawai?a were some of the most prized possessions of
the entire village.
Hale noho, the living house. It was built as sleeping and living quarters for th
e Hawaiian family unit.
Imu, the communal earth oven. Dug in the ground, it was used to cook the entire
village's food including pua?a or pork. Only men cooked using the imu.
Caste system[edit]
18th century Hawaiian helmet and cloak, signs of royalty.
Ancient Hawai?i was a caste society. The main classes were:
Ali?i. This class consisted of the high and lesser chiefs of the realms. They go
verned with divine power called mana.
Kahuna. Priests conducted religious ceremonies, at the heiau and elsewhere. Prof
essionals included master carpenters and boatbuilders, chanters, dancers, geneal
ogists, physicians and healers.
Maka?ainana. Commoners farmed, fished, and exercised the simpler crafts. They la
bored not only for themselves and their families, but to support the chiefs and
kahuna.
Kauwa. They are believed to have been war captives, or the descendants of war ca
ptives. Marriage between higher castes and the kauwa was strictly forbidden. The
kauwa worked for the chiefs and were often used as human sacrifices at the luak
ini heiau. (They were not the only sacrifices; law-breakers of all castes or def
eated political opponents were also acceptable as victims.).