Keka’a Black Rock

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Ka'anapali's Sacred Black RockLocation: Ka’anapali Beach, Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, USA

Who Considers it Sacred? Native Hawaiians

Significance: Native Hawaiians consider Keka’a to be the first place on Maui where the goddess Pele began her fires to build the island. Historian Abraham Fornander wrote concerning Keka’a in the 19th century, that thousands seem to have died there; he mentions bones and skeletons being in evidence, seeming to represent huge numbers of bodies. The native Hawaiians have also long regarded it as haunted and sacred to Pele.

The Threat: Commercial development

Status: The Sheraton Maui hotel, built in the 1960’s, has defiled the Keka’a site by building on top of it.

For More Information: No Keka’a; Site Saver Newsletter Volume VII, Number 2, Winter 1997

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