Naha Stone

Naha Stone is one of two stones located at the front of the Hilo Public Library, Naha stone is the larger of the two. It is said that in ancient Hawaii the stone was used to find out who belongs to the ruling Naha Clan.

To find out if a baby belonged to the Naha clan it would be placed on top of the stone, if the baby cried it was not part of the clan, if it remained calm it was Naha. Islanders believe that the stone which weighs approximately 7,000 pounds was bought to Hilo Island from Kauai in a canoe. Legend also surrounds the stone that whoever was the first to move the stone would be the king of all of Hawaii.

Kamehameha was the first to try, and was successful in moving the stone, he was only 14 years of age at the time. Kamehameha was a great warrior and diplomat; he united the islands of Hawaii in 1810 after many years of conflict. It is believed that he was born in 1758, the same year that Halley's Comet passed Hawaii, and this plays part in the legend that a light in the sky with feathers would signal the birth of a great chief.