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Free Traveling Guides » States » Hawaii » Hawaii IslandHale O Keawe Heiau
The Puuhonua O Honaunau, often called as city of refuge, is a sacred sanctuary in Hawaii that offered fortification for conquered warriors and "kapu", the people who rushed there to escape demise. Once they entreated, the priest would forgive them and they were given a second chance for leading a new life.
Once some requesters arrived the kahuna pule. Usually, priest, used to offer them shelter and forgiveness, under pain of his own demise should he refuse to do that. Often the requester would be freed within hours to resume a normal life. These people were given a second chance to lead a good life further. This was not any place packed with tough criminals. This was a holy place on which life took another meaning for the early Hawaiians.
Here you can walk past a renovated temple, the Hale o Keawe Heiau. The original temple was constructed around the year 1650 and was destroyed long ago. It was an abode of the bones of no less than 23 chiefs. During the year 1818, a son of Kamehameha I was said to be buried on these holy grounds. It is believed that the mana, in the bones of the dead chiefs, would give extra protection to that place of refuge. When you pass by the temple you will enter Pu`uhonua. People who broke kapu, and were sentenced to death, would take shelter in this section, and in order to do so, they used to swim all across the bay.
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