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| 1773 Pu'uhonua o Hōnaunau |
Posted on 24.07.2015, 25.01.2020
Located on the west coast of the island of Hawaii, Pu'uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park preserves the site where, up until the early 19th century, Hawaiians who violated the kapu (sacred laws) could avoid certain death by fleeing to this place of refuge. The offender would be absolved by a priest and freed to leave. Defeated warriors and non-combatants could also find refuge here during times of battle. The complex includes also temple platforms, royal fishponds, sledding tracks, and some coastal village sites. For several centuries, the pu'uhonua and adjacent areas formed one of the primary religious and political centers within the traditional district of Kona.
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| 3394 Ki'is which protect Hale o Keawe |
The park contains a reconstruction of the Hale O Keawe heiau, which was originally built by a Kona chief named Kanuha in honor of his father King Keawe'īkekahiali'iokamoku. After the death of the king, his bones were entombed within the heiau, which once held the consecrated bones of 23 great chiefs. It was believed that the mana (spiritual power) of the chiefly bones would offer additional protection to an already powerful place. Situated on a point of land near the sea and surrounded by dramatic ki'i (carved images), Hale o Keawe is still considered very sacred ground. The Hawaiian word ki'i may be heard in other parts of Polynesia as tiki.
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