Night Marchers at La Pietra School (Papa‘ena‘ena Heiau)
Night Marchers at La Pietra School (Papa‘ena‘ena Heiau)
In 1783, after his victory over Oahu, the Maui Ali‘i, Kahekili constructed a great heiau at the foot of Leahi, or Diamond Head. This heiau became known as Papa‘ena‘ena. This heiau was known as a luakini heiau, where men were sacrificed to the god Kū.
Twelve years later, in 1795, after Kamehameha I’s victory of Keleleake‘anae, the battle of Nu‘uanu, he offered a sacrifice on the altar at Papa‘ena‘ena. His own cousin, Kalanikupule, the son of Kahekili. But believed to be the very last human sacrifice in Hawai‘i was that of Kamehameha’s nephew, Kanihonui, for his betrayal. In 1812, Kanihonui was put to death at Papa‘ena‘ena Heiau for sleeping with Kamehameha’s favorite wife, Ka‘ahumanu.
This important heiau was the site of many sacred ceremonies in which the kapu was very strict. Any breaking of the kapu, even when marching to and from the heiau, meant certain death. It is believed that the legend of Hawaii’s night marchers stem from these sacred marches.
Hawaii Night Marchers Witnesses
A woman staying in Waikiki in the 1930s relays an experience to Antoinette Withington, the author of Hawaiian Tapestry. She says that on the first night she saw glowing lights just on the edge of the water. On the second night, she saw the same thing, except now, the glowing lights seemed to have shadowy forms as if they were people holding up torches, walking along the beach, heading toward Diamond Head.
The author, Ms. Withington, consults a known Hawaiian scholar living in Waikiki who said that it was interesting that a “haole” woman would have seen something like this. Those must be the night marchers, the procession of ghostly Hawaiian warriors and ali‘i heading towards the celebrated heiau known as Papa‘ena‘ena, perhaps for a ceremony.
In 2019, Lopaka Kapanui hosted a group in Waikiki and was talking about bones and burials. Lopaka and the dozens of people in his group happened to notice red glowing lights going up the slopes of Diamond Head, over the ridge, and down into the crater.
La Pietra School is Home to Night Marchers
Police officers have said that on the nights when there is no moon, you can see torch lights appearing from the Kapiolani Park Bandstand, going through the park and towards the La Pietra School. These lights are most likely the manifestations of the night marchers heading towards the school. For La Pietra Hawaii School for Girls sits atop the remnants of the sacrificial heiau, Papa‘ena‘ena.
Step Into the Shadows of Haunted Honolulu
From the ancient sacrifices at Papaʻenaʻena Heiau to the ghostly halls of La Pietra, the spirit world still lingers in the heart of haunted Waikīkī. These stories are just a glimpse into the chilling legends that define supernatural Honolulu. Join us on a Waikīkī ghost tour and explore haunted places in Hawaii where history and haunting collide—where the footsteps of the night marchers echo through the past.
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