Quoted from Park Service documents:
“In the time of kapu, (forbidden or taboo) a woman eats with a man. A maka’ãinana (commoner) casts his shadow on an ail’i. Someone catches a fish out of season. Break these or any other kapu, and you face the ultimate punishment of death. Your only chance of survival is to elude your pursuers on foot, make your way to the coast, and swim to the Pu’uhonua. If you make it—and many do not—you may be absolved by a priest.
During times of war, the Pu’uhonua served another role— as sanctuary for children, elders, and other noncombatants. Defeated warriors could also seek safety in the refuge. When the battle ended they were free to resume their lives regardless of the battle’s outcome.”
Kapu ended in 1819. “It remains a sacred place of peace, calm, and refuge to Hawaiians, open to all who find their way here.”
These photos were taken at the place along the rocky shore where seekers who swam would land. There are tide pools and jagged rocks.
I spoke with a Hawaiian man who told me that the ‘pursuers’ were a special group of people who had extraordinary strength and endurance. To become a pursuer, one needed to be able to run from one side of the Hawaii (the Big Island) to the other and back in one 24 hour day. (120 miles). It made outrunning them beyond lucky. It was deemed that if you managed to reach Pu’uhonua, the gods must be with you.
Mahalo to the Hawaiians who preserve their culture and share it.
