Thursday, August 23, 2012

Aloha to the Big Island - Pu`uhonua O Hōnaunau (Place of Refuge)



From the National Park Service (at this link),

A Furious Journey of Life or Death was Determined by the Gods

Imagine you had just broken the sacred laws, the Kapu, and the only punishment was death. Your only chance of survival is to elude your pursuers and reach the Pu'uhonua, a place of refuge. The Pu'uhonua protected the kapu breaker, civilians during the time of war and the defeated warriors. No harm could come to those who reached the boundaries of the place of refuge.
 


We begin our adventure with the Tiki gods ... 

   
... who are plentiful at the Place of Refuge!


The carvings are replicas ...


... with authentic details!


The palm trees are also plentiful ... 


... with jalapeno shaped coconuts!


Do you have a historic site near you?  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, August 25, 10 pm in Hawaii.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, August 26.

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii

Hawaiian checkers, anyone?

14 comments:

  1. One historical site is the African Burial Ground.

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  2. We have an old copper mine near us that was converted into a prison early in our history. I love visiting it.

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  3. Texas has several historical sites close by, including the San Jacinto Battlefield, where Texans won independence from Mexico.

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  4. Yes, living in the Chicagoland area we have many buildings churches.

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  5. Amazing pictures as usual! Nope... live in a relatively new area.... I guess the closest one that I can think of is Casa Loma... It's an old castle.

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  6. Fun pictures! We have some old buildings around town that are considered historical sites. And I guess maybe our Old Point Loma Lighthouse would be considered one.

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  7. We have Fort Pitt not very far away from the French and Indian War.

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  8. Our original court house, the Historic Burke County Court House, where The North Carolina Supreme Court met from 1847 until 1861. Burke County in NC. originally ran all the way to the Mississippi River until they formed Tennessee and Morganton was the county seat. It's the oldest court house in western North Carolina.

    You are sharing the most amazing pictures with us. :)

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  9. No we not ,great pcs
    Kimh

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  10. We also have Fort Ligonier and the Bushy Run Battlefield in Western, PA.

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  11. Local history only. I agree - nice pictures.

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