Lono-mōʻī or Haku ʻŌhiʻa - Public Domain image, National Parks Gallery

The central and most important image within the heiau (temple) is the mōʽī or “lord of images”, as described my 19th century Hawaiian scholar David Malo. Also termed Haku ʽŌhiʽa, this image was set in the center of the group of images facing the altar and was the most intricately carved. In temple construction, this was the last image to be situated in the temple and was marked by a human sacrifice, buried beneath the area in which the image stood. At Hale o Keawe, Lono mōʽī encompasses the many aspects of Lono in one visualization known as Lono-nui-ākea or “the great expanse” of Lono. The Lono-mōʽī along with the other images of the inner court served as a ceremonial focal point, crucial to the rituals conducted within the heiau.