The Stones of Life — Attraction in Honolulu

In the heart of Waikiki, between the statue of Duke Kahanamoku, and a police station, sit four large stones that represent a Hawaiian tradition of healing and inclusion that is all but unknown to the millions of locals and visitors passing by.

According to legend, these boulders honor four mahu—people of dual male and female mind, heart, and spirit—who long ago brought the healing arts from Tahiti to Hawaiʻi and used their spiritual power to treat disease. The stones were much beloved by Princess Kaʻiulani, the last heir to the throne of the Hawaiian Kingdom, who placed seaweed lei and prayed to them before swimming. But an influx of foreign influences and prejudices throughout the 20th century resulted in a vastly changing island landscape, and the stones were nearly forgotten. At one point they were even buried under a bowling alley.

The stones were recovered in 1963, and today they sit on a raised platform protected by a fence. While the story of the healers' gender fluidity was for many years suppressed, in 2023 a new interpretive sign was added that describes them as mahu and directs visitors to an animated film and informative website (Kapaemahu.info). The best way to honor this unique monument is to share the story of the stones and what...

We learned about the Kapaemahu Stones (or Stones of Life) when we visited the Bishop Museum. If you missed that exhibit, here's a breif summary. A long time ago, the Māhu came to Hawaii. They were special beings with healing powers. They got their power from being neither male nor female. Polynesia views reproduction as very important, so culturally this is a big deal. The Māhu healed people all over the islands. When it was time for them to go, they blessed these stones & instilled them with their healing power. The significance would be forgotten. There's now a fence around the Stones, but at one time a bowling alley had been constructed on top of them! Their current enclosure still isn't ideal & is between a major sidewalk & the Waikiki Beach. There's a campaign to update the signage to be more historically &...

Stones of Life of Kapaemahu and Kapuni Near the police substation at Waikiki Beach Center, four ordinary-looking volcanic basalt boulders are actually sacred and legendary Hawaiian symbols. They are said to contain the mana (spiritual essence) of four māhū (individuals who were both male and female in mind, body and spirit) healers who came to Oʻahu from Tahiti around AD 400. According to ancient legend, the healers helped the island residents by relieving their maladies. Soon the māhū healers became very famous. As a tribute when the healers left, the islanders placed the four boulders where...