A single wall is all that remains of a schoolhouse
in Kaupo, Maui. The photo by Therese Babineau
is featured in "Legacy of the Landscape."

So-called "ruins" are a visible testament of ancient Hawaiian civilization. And, the husband and wife team of Patrick Kirch and Therese Babineau have collaborated to present 50 selected archaeological treasures.

In "Legacy of the Landscape - An Illustrated Guide to Hawaiian Archaeological Sites," scholar Kirch and photographer Babineau provide a historical, cultural and mythological overview of the sites.

Kirch is an anthropology professor at UC Berkeley. He has done archaeological fieldwork in Ha-waii, Cook Islands, New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Tonga. He wrote "Feathered Gods and Fishhooks (UH Press, 1985).

His 130-page volume, with duotone prints gleaned from 1,680 negatives, features the Hawaiian archipelago from north to south. Kauai has six sites, followed by seven on Oahu, four on Molokai, two on Lanai, seven on Maui and a remarkable 24 on the Big Island.

Vinton calls the footprints of Keoua's army - cast in hardened volcanic ash at Volcanoes National Park - "perhaps the most unusual archaeological (and geological) site in the islands."

The five-tiered Pi'ilanihale Heiau in Hana, Maui, is "reputedly the largest heiau in the Hawaiian islands," built with an estimated 127,000 person days of labor.

The comprehensive, readable guide features not only heiau, but also terraced cultivation systems, in canoe sheds and fishponds, village complexes and petroglyphs.

Among the most impressive arrays are the Pu'uloa petroglyphs in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park - a lava dome covered with thousands of small glyphs for the deposit of piko, or infants' umbilical cords, presumably to assure long life. Also, the Puako petroglyph fields adjacent to Mauna Lani Resort display 3,000 glyphs.

With this book revealing so many priceless sites, though, one hopes that any visitors will walk softly and carry a lot of respect.

The author's caution about the fragile footprints of Keoua's army applies to all precious vestiges of Hawaiiana: "Please do not step on or otherwise damage these endangered historical resources."

That is, do not ruin the ruins that are lasting manifestations to the islands' indigenous culture.