The
Kona Side of the "Big Island" is known for blazing
sunsets like the one pictured above. This grove of stately palms is located adjacent
to Pu`uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park. The National Park Service
preserves this site where, up until the early 19th century, Hawaiians who broke a kapu or
one of the ancient laws against the gods could avoid certain death by fleeing to this
place of refuge or "pu`uhonua". The offender would absolved by a priest and
freed to leave. Defeated warriors and non-combatants could also find refuge here during
times of battle. The grounds just outside the Great Wall that encloses the pu`uhonua were
home to several generations of powerful chiefs.
|
