UH research team finds ancient Hawaiian calendar system
HONOLULU (KHON2) — A new study has uncovered that Hapaialiʻi Heiau – an ancient Hawaiian religious site – served as a sophisticated seasonal calendar.The research, published in Waka Kuaka, highlights the advanced scientific knowledge of Native Hawaiians, showing how the heiau helped track seasonal changes critical for agriculture and fishing.
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Conducted by Professor Albert Kim from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and civil engineer Brenton Sasaoka, the study used modern mapping and mathematical analysis.
It found that stones in the heiau were strategically placed to align with the sun's position, marking the winter and summer solstices.
These alignments helped guide cultural practices and resource management.
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'This research shows that Hawaii's ancestors were master astronomers and engineers,' said Kim. 'By applying modern methods, we can better preserve their technological achievements.'
The team's work also revealed the heiau's potential for desalination, a surprising discovery.
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Melia Talagi, a Native Hawaiian professor at UH Manoa, praised the research for blending Western science with traditional knowledge.
While the study offers new insights, researchers said more work is needed to fully understand the heiau's functions.
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The Hapaialiʻi Heiau was reconstructed by Kamehameha Schools in 2007, and the researchers thanked Māhealani Pai for her cultural guidance.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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After all, 'if you consistently beat your body up with unhealthy habits, everything is going to fall sick,' Ganesh said. But the mitochondrial approach to wellness carries risks, too. For patients with genetically caused mitochondrial disease, lifestyle changes might marginally improve some symptoms, Ganesh said, but attempting to cure such conditions with supplements and a healthy diet alone could be dangerous. Means also calls out medications—including antibiotics, chemotherapy, antiretrovirals, statins, and high-blood-pressure drugs—for interfering with mitochondria. Macleod told me that statins really do affect mitochondria, as do some antibiotics. (The latter makes sense: Mitochondria are thought to have evolved from bacteria more than a billion years ago.) That's no reason, though, to avoid any of these medications if a doctor has determined that you need them. And yet, a whole chapter of Good Energy is dedicated to the idea that readers should mistrust the motives of their doctors, who the authors say profit by keeping Americans sick. The book is less critical of the ways the wellness industry preys on people's fears. Zooming in on mitochondria might offer a reassuringly specific and seemingly scientific explanation of the many real ills of the U.S. population, but ultimately, Means and MAHA are only helping obscure the big picture.
