Imagine being suspended 1000+ft above the constant crashing
waves on a cliff side composed of nothing but loose rocks, vines and scurrying
critters. It is the dead of night and
nothing but torches light the surrounding 10 feet of area, precarious indeed. You’re a young warrior and you are about to
carry out your destiny. As you are
slowly lowered down on rope that I can guarantee was not UIAA certified halfway
down the cliff, you are not completely alone.
You carry with you the remains of a member of the Ali’i- the royal
family. As members of the royal family
pass, onto what was thought to be the eternal life, their bones were taken by a
young warrior and hidden in caves high out of hands’ reach in a protected cove
known as Kealakekua Bay. In Hawaiian
culture, the bones, or final remains of any individual are said to possess the
eternal soul and in order to keep these souls safe, especially the royal
family’s souls, they were hidden high above any village. As you can imagine, the young warrior was
essentially the only one who would know exactly where these remains were
hidden, so in order to guarantee that no man could steal away the souls of the
elite, the warrior’s line was cut after his task was completed. Falling the remaining hundreds of feet to the
rocky abyss below, his sacrifice was seen as a great honor. To be able to help keep the souls of the
Ali’i safe for eternity was seen as heroic and noble.
What must have been going on in these young men’s minds as
they were slowly being lowered over the side of one the largest exposed cliff
on the island? Were they proud? Scared?
Excited for their steps into the eternal life? How does one prepare for this? While I do not know the full scope of the
ceremonies leading up to the actual “burial,” I do know that this is a very
powerful piece of Hawaiian culture that has since been discontinued (for
obvious reasons), but is still seen as a very sacred part of protecting the
eternal being.
This bay is also incredibly famous for something else-
Captain Cook’s arrival. In 1779, Captain
James Cook, the first European to set foot on the island, “discovered” the Big
Island. His first landing put him right
in the heart of Kealakekua Bay. With its
towering cliffs, sharp lava rocks and exposed reefs, Captain Cook’s ships were
anchored far off shore out of the harm’s way.
Short boats were used to transport crew to shore where they were greeted
by the native Hawaiian peoples- who thought of these light skinned men as Gods. As you can imagine, as with any major land
discovery, shit went awry relatively quickly.
As with the Native Americans, traditions were slashed, lives were lost,
and general death, disease and destruction ensued. The long and short of it is, Captain Cook
overstayed his welcome and committed an unforgiveable act- kidnapping a Chief
as collateral for a “stolen” short boat.
Kealakekua Bay needless to say is also the site where Captain James Cook
was executed later that same year, once they discovered he was no god….For such
a beautiful cove tucked away on the cliff side, it sure does have a heavy
past.
The only times (two in total) I have been to this bay have been by boat, so on my day off I decided to head down there by car to see it from land. It's absolutely beautiful and such a powerful place. There is such a presence here. I ended up sidetracking myself with a long run along the coast and a pick up volleyball game in the shade. Coconuts and mangoes for sale, freshly brewed coffee right from the farm and friendly kayakers were all around. I also found a gentleman sitting next to the beach carving tiki men....haha....oh Hawaii...
After a quick stop for the perfect cup of coffee, the day ended with a trip to the Mango Festival in downtown Kona. This was basically the closest thing I have experienced out here to a mini farming festival. Lots of great foods, macadamia nuts, beautiful jewelry and live music. I picked up two WWOOFers (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) and gave them a ride to the festival on my way back from Kealakekua.
My weekend ended with the Wahine (girl) Fishing Tournament out of Honokohau Harbor. Basically a big fishing tournament just for women. It's a charity event and was themed African Safari. All the boats and fisher-ladies were decorated and dressed as such. It was a riot. I have never laughed so much at a fishing tournament. Although I did not partake, I did help to decorate boats and enjoyed the festivities after the fact. The winning fish was a 401lb marlin. The winnings are split up between the ladies on the team and the sponsored charity. Why just raise money, when you can raise money and fish at the same time?
Aloha nui loa,
M.
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