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Laie
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Laie Hawaii Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a white building framed by palm trees and gardens, with an American flag in front. Polynesian students in green traditional attire perform the Maori haka dance on a canoe, with a thatched hut and spectators in the background at the Polynesian Cultural Center.
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Hawaiian:
Lā‘ie
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Laie Hawaii Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a white building framed by palm trees and gardens, with an American flag in front.
Laie Hawaii Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Laie

Hawaii, United States
Also known as: Lā‘ie
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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History

Laie, town, Honolulu county, on Laie Bay, northeastern Oahu island, Hawaii, U.S. The land was acquired by Mormon missionaries in 1864 and settled by a colony of Hawaiian Mormons. The impressive white Laie Hawaii Temple, where the highest rites of the Mormon church can be performed, was built in 1919 on the site of an ancient Hawaiian “city of refuge” (puuhonua; “a sanctuary for the pursued”). The Polynesian Cultural Center, a project of the Mormon church, is Laie’s main tourist attraction (particularly its famous authentic luau). Laie is also the seat of Brigham Young University–Hawaii campus (formerly the Church College of Hawaii [1955]). Nearby Waiapuka Pool is known in Hawaiian literature as the refuge of the beautiful Princess Laieikawai (“Leaf in the Water”), dedicated to the sun god and protected from her father, who had vowed to kill her. Pop. (2010) 6,138; (2020) 5,963.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Mindy Johnston.
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