Mural V - Pu'uhonua

Breaking kapu ensured certain death unless you reached a Pu'uhonua and underwent spiritual cleansing

NPS Photo/Holiday

Unlike the lands outside of it, Pu'uhonua were not governed by the Ali'i but by the Gods they revered. One translation of Pu'uhonua is "rising/elevated lands" and alludes to the function a Heiau (temple) of this type served. Pu'uhonua were in a sense like ancient hospitals, where one could enter sick, be treated by skilled Kahuna La'au Lapa'au (master plant healers), and leave elevated with their health. A Pu'uhonua is where many Kahuna (skilled craftsmen/priests) resided. If you did not have a role to play in your community, entering into the Pu'uhonua you could apprentice under a master and perhaps one day leave elevated with purpose.  

For those who had broken the divine laws of Kapu, a Pu'uhonua offered them sanctuary where they were able to undergo a process of reformation physically, mentally, and of course spiritually.  

Though the Pu'uhonua of Hōnaunau was believed to be the most powerful, there were once many temples like it found around our islands' shores. After the passing of Kamehameha the Great , his eldest son and wives chose to discontinue many of the traditions of his ancestors and what led to the destruction of many of our sacred sites found around the archipelago. Pu'uhonua o Hōnaunau is considered the last ancient Pu'uhonua that still remains greatly intact today, and continues to be utilized by kanaka maoli (native hawaiians) for religious and spiritual ceremony.

• Mural 5 - Wahi Kapu

  
  

  An introduction to the concepts of kapu and the purpose such rules served.

  Date created:

  10/23/2023

  Audio Transcript

  Noho kuu lani ia Hawaii A ola! Ola o kalana ola! Ola ke alii ke kahuna Ola ke kilo ke kauwa Noho ia Hawaii a lu lana - Our alii came to dwell upon Hawaii. And there was life, buoyant life. Life for the chiefs and the priests. Life for the seers and those in servitude. Here they dwell and may be at rest. In our island world we seek order and balance through kapu and within that practice too, find sanctuary for the cultivation of life. That is the meaning and importance of Puuhonua. A place of healing and restoration. Where kuleana – that deep sense of responsibility and honor – cultivates value in life. A place where the ancient murmur speaks with the wisdom of our ancestors, so that their traditions may be remembered. As we shift our sails through the ever-driving currents of change, we remember who we are and where we came from and with that knowledge cultivate life across generations.