City of Refuge

City of Refuge “Honaunau”:  50^th anniversary and cultural Festival

We arrived there on June 24, 2011 to do our place-based writing.   The Retirees of Pu’uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park had set up all sorts of demonstrations and programs for all visitors and tourists to partake and learn some of the techniques the Hawaiians used to create things.   Though we were there to write, the desire to enjoy the day’s festivities and learn some new crafts took us away from writing for a while.   Some of us got right into it but for me, the draw of the coconut basket weaving was too strong.  I could not get my mind off of creating a basket.    As soon as someone called time, Jeanne and I hurried back to put our things into the car so we could go back to the site.  I had already sat in at the coconut broom making area but the basket weaving looked so inviting.  As it was one of the more popular displays, there were quite a few people waiting to weave.    We were told to remove our footwear and not to touch the stone structure adjacent to the site as it was a sacred area.

A simple sign should have been placed there but none were visible so we thought that the people were a bit rude.  Anyway, I wanted to make the basket so much that I eventually got in and sat with one of the instructors.   In the end, I had a young girl work with me and teach me how to tighten and complete my basket.  I was quite pleased with the results but wanted to make more.  I asked a lot of questions and made mental notes which I quickly wrote down on paper along with the weaving instructions.

This was the 50^th Anniversary and annual cultural festival so I can go next year once again to learn a new skill such as how to make a musical instrument.  The festival is free for the public so it is a worthwhile place to visit and learn.

Our guide was an old friend from school days and he was dressed up like big Bird with a cape made of banana leaves woven onto a cape.  He explained how this refuge came to be and how those who had broken a law had to make it here by sea to take refuge.   He said if they managed to stay here for a certain amount of time, they were exonerated and could return to their village.   The wall behind the refuge is a thousand feet long and protects the sacred site. 

 There were about 48 different demonstrations going on at the same time.   The festivities will run until Sunday, the 26^th with the entire same program being repeated for newcomers.    There were demonstrations of every kind and some that are scheduled only for Saturday and Sunday. 

Among the many that our group partook in were Ipu gourd making, haku lei making, coconut leaf weaving, kappa making, Bamboo stamp printing and net throwing.   We all wandered around to different areas as to suit our individual interests.

I took lots of photos and had so many in minds to paint but in the end, I opted to paint a picture of my friend, our story-teller against the background of the great wall and the canoe exhibition.