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Puuhonua O Honaunau, the City of Refuge
Puuhonua O Honaunau is an awesome place on the big island to take your family on your vacation getaway. You not only learn a lot about the history of the early Hawaiians, you will also be blown away by the peace and tranquility of this beautiful park. It has a bunch of park benches and tables set up along the beach, so pack your family a lunch and enjoy a meal at this great park. There is a restroom and water fountain next to the parking lot, so you can refresh yourself before you walk on the trail through the Puuhonua. Watch for falling coconuts and do not touch the sea turtles-they are a protected animal and you can be fined for contact with them. Puuhonua O Hanaunau was established in the ancient days of early Hawaii history for law breakers and those seeking refuge from enemies. To understand why Puuhonua was built, you have to know a little more about the system of kapu that was set up by the early Hawaiians. When the Tahitians arrived in Hawaii between 1000-1200 A.D., they subjugated the settled islanders and forced them to take on their legends, language, customs and their general way of life. Like all societies throughout the world, Hawaiians 
had to set up a system of rules and laws that governed way of life. The Kapu system was one such system that dictated what was appropriate and what wasn't. A lot of what was dictated as kapu, was put forth by the chief or alii of the village. For instance, if it was a year of conservation, he could say that people couldn't eat certain plants, fish, animals or other such resources. In this sense, kapu was designed to maintain the carefull balance of mankind and nature.
In the kapu system, you would find 4 distinct groups of people: The alii: or the chief of the village and its surrounding territories. These alii obtained their position by birth and leadership abilities. They were also believed to be descendants of the gods. The kahuna: commonly mistaken as a chief, were usually priests who performed at religious ceremonies and were also the advisors to the alii. The Makaainana: were regular people (commoners) and made up the largest group of people. The kauwa: were the outcasts and did not live with the general population, but rather were forced to live segregated from Hawaiian society. As the class of society dictated what could and could not be done in regular life, the Hawaiians began to see that some rules were inevitably going to be broken and many times by pure accident. For instance, on kapu forbade a person's shadow from crossing the alii's shadow. An offense such as this meant death by strangulation, fire, or club. You can see
In 1782, the king Kamehameha I got to experience this system of kapu first hand. He happened upon a couple of enemy fisherman and began to chase them. Chasing them onto the shore, he became ensnared in a crevice and was unable to free himself. When his enemies saw that he was helpless, they attacked him with their oars, splintering one upon his head, before leaving him for dead. Kamehameha recovered and and issued a new Law of the Splintered Paddle, which was designed to protect innocent and helpless people from attacks. This law enabled people who couldn't seek refuge in Puuhonua to seek justice. The building of Puuhonua O Honaunau or the City of Refuge, was designed as a place of refuge for those who had broken a kapu. This city of refuge was thought to have been built around the 12th century. It even accepted political refugees who couldn't hide from their enemies. Puuhonua was built with a large stone wall of lava rock that measures 1000 ft. long, 10 ft. high, and 17 feet wide. The place of refuge sits on an 180 acre site with a fishpond, canoe landing, house, and temple surrounded by wooden statues which stand guard over the buried bones of 23 different Hawaiian alii.
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