We took Mette and Stan to Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historic Park. This was our second visit and I was able to understand a little more about what this location preserves. The park contains two areas - the royal grounds and the place of refuge (Pu'uhonua). These two areas are separated by a massive L-shaped wall that is 1000 feet long, 10 feet high, and 17 feet thick. The place of refuge is bounded on one side by the ocean and the other by this wall.
Before the time of King Kamehameha II a very strict religious code was enforced. The religion specified all kinds of forbidden behaviors and breaking these sacred laws (kapu) resulted in death. These violations would be considered minor by today's standards - casting one's shadow on a royal, setting foot on royal grounds, eating with a woman, eating the wrong kind of fish. Once pursued for violating Kapu, your only chance for survival was to make it to a place of refuge. This also applied to women and children and enemy combatants during a war. Once safe in a place of refuge, you would spend a few days with the local priests to be cleansed and would then be free to go.
Kamehameha ordered most of the structures inside the place of refuge destroyed and tidal waves also resulted in severe damage to most of the rest. What remains are piles of rubble.
One remaining structure, Alealea, a massive stone platform is still intact.
The Hale o Keawe is the burial site of many royals and is preserved as a sacred site still respected by many Hawaiian people.
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