Jane Austen, please meet King Kamehameha the Great. He's known as the Napoleon of the Pacific. After defeating his cousin to rule the Big Island of Hawaii, he conquered Maui, Lana'i, Moloka'i, and Oahu. Once the king of Kaua'i signed a peace treaty, King Kamehameha united the Hawaiian islands. In effect, he protected each island from becoming a European colony.
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| King Kamehameha proudly stands outside Hickam Elementary School. Notice the yellow hibiscus, the state flower. |
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| Jane joins us for a special Barbershop Chorus event in Kailua. Jane meets two members of Aloha Spirit. |
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| Jane climbs the ladder to the pool's slide - no doubt Marianne Dashwood would jump right in! |
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| Jane admires the maile lei shared by these fine gentlemen. |
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| Ah, the comforts of Hawaii! |
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| On our way home, we visit the Ulupo Heiau. |
From its website (at this link),
Hauwahine, the mo'o or guardian spirit, protects the people of Kawai Nui and assures an abundance of fish. The legendary association of Ulupo Heiau with the menehune suggests the antiquity of this site. The massiveness and quantity of rock carried many miles hint at its cultural importance. Tradition records Kualoa, more than 10 miles away, as one source of these stones.
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| Hawaiians still bring treats for the gods. |
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| The heiau is larger than it appears in these pictures. |
Also from the website,
It is likely that the function of this heiau changed over time. It probably began as a mapele or agricultural heiau with ceremonies and rites conducted to insure the fertility of the crops grown in Kawai Nui. In later times, it may have become a heiau luakini dedicated to success in war with structures erected atop this massive stone platform, including an altar, an oracle tower or anu'u, thatched hale, and notches in the terraces to hold the ki'i or wooden images. The spring off the corner of the heiau was another important feature related to the ceremonial traditions of the site.
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| Jane inspects the taro patch. |
Do you have a favorite fruit or vegetable from your area? One randomly selected commenter from this week's blogs wins a book choice from my convention stash. This giveaway is open to all readers. Comments are open through Saturday, June 2, 10 pm in Hawaii. I'll post the winner on Sunday, June 3.
Mahalo,
Kim in Hawaii
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| Jane found several coconuts! |
I love seeing all your pictures.
ReplyDeleteI like strawberries.
ReplyDeleteJane is a cutie :) There's nothing like a home grown tomato.
ReplyDeleteI like tomatoes whom, great pics
ReplyDeleteKimh
The apple is our official state fruit, but it's not my favorite fruit. I like strawberries and watermelon.
ReplyDeleteI still want to be Jane's BFF. Love the pictures.
ReplyDeleteGreta pics of Jane enjoying herself. :) Love fresh and juicy peaches. Happy Memorial Day.
ReplyDeleteCarol L.
Lucky4750 (at) aol (dot) com
Tomatoes, as they once were grown.
ReplyDeleteThanks to you and your family for your service.
I like almost all fruits and vegetables. I've been a vegetarian for fifteen years!
ReplyDelete