Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Park, Hawaii - Philatelic Photographs on Waymarking.com

In the year 1972, the United States issued a series of postage stamps commemorating the centennial of America’s first National Park: Yellowstone. Five parks were chosen for these stamps which, I believe, were meant to represent the diverse nature of these properties. Yellowstone was one of the five parks with its stamp showing the “Old Faithful” geyser. The other four were Mt. McKinley in Alaska (now renamed Denali), Cape Hatteras National Seashore in North Carolina, Wolf Trap Farm (a venue for the performing arts outside of Washington DC) and this National Historical Park in Hawaii.

In ancient Israel, several cities were designated as “Cities of Refuge.” Anyone who had committed involuntary manslaughter could flee to one of these cities where they would be offered protection from vengeance-seeking relatives of the victim (at least until the facts could be sorted out). In a similar fashion, the Pu'uhonua (there were others besides this one) were places of refuge for anyone who ran afoul of the sacred kapu law. These laws governed all aspects of daily life and the penalty for breaking them was usually death. If you ate the wrong thing at the wrong time or mistakenly entered a forbidden area, you literally had to run for your life to one of these places of refuge to avoid execution. The stamp uses the inscription “City of Refuge” which was the original name of the park.

Seen prominently on the stamp is a wooden Ki'i statue. Many of these statues were placed as guardians around the Hale o Keawe temple which housed the remains of tribal chiefs. The Hale o Keawe temple at the site today (which also can be seen in the background of the stamp) is a reconstruction.

With Waikiki Beach, active volcanoes and macadamia nuts, Hawaii certainly has a lot to offer. So this historic site may not be at the top of your to-do list when visiting the islands. But you always seem to learn something new at a place like this. For instance, after I got a closer look at the Ki'i statue, I learned that what I always thought were the statue’s eyes was really its mouth!

Kapu law is no longer enforced in Hawaii but I did notice that the park has its own set of rules. For example, beach umbrellas, weddings and throwing footballs are all forbidden. I wonder, if you were to slip up and get married here, could you then make a mad dash for the Pu'uhonua area to avoid prosecution by park rangers?

Stamp Issuing Country: United States Date of Issue: 3-May-1972 Denomination: 11 cents Color: multicolored Stamp Type: Single Stamp Relevant Web Site: [Web Link]

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