Place of Refuge
Back in the days in Hawai'i when letting your shadow fall across the path of royalty or eating with someone of the other sex was enough to get you killed, there were apparently a few places on the island called "places of refuge." If an offender was able to reach one of these places before being apprehended, they were completely forgiven and could rejoin society as if nothing had happened. Curious. One of those places is now a national park on the Big Island.
We had the great luck of visiting during the annual Cultural Festival. I discovered that festivals are a little hit or miss. There was a festival I anticipated being a huge deal on King Kamehameha day; we had scouted out parking and wondered if we'd spend the entire day there. As it turned out, parking was not a problem, there were three craft booths and some folks from the senior citizens center doing hula. So it didn't really take the entire day. On the other hand, the Cultural Festival was pretty amazing. There were many craftsman and artisans who practiced old Hawai'ian arts such as weaving, carving, dancing, and fishing. Many had crafts that we could participate in for free; I wove a bracelet from dried leaves, and the boys made a bamboo instrument and sanded and hollowed out some decorative gourds, all of which we brought home. There were outrigger canoes and catamarans to take rides on.
There were some very good hula dancers. They were from Oregon (?). I grew very fond of hula dancing on this trip. There is something wonderful about a dance style that can look beautiful and feminine even if the woman is seventy years old or overweight. It is very experessive and engaging to watch, and can be feminine without being sexual. And it is so inclusive. The city of Hilo has a slightly cheesy song "Hilo, My Hometown". There is a dance to go along with it, and it seems everyone knows it. Several times we witnessed the song, and people spontaneously joining in the dance. I like that. The hula dancers at the festival were more traditional. Some of the individual dancers were very good, and some not as much, but the effect was still striking, and I like that too.
And there were some games of skill,
some tossing of fishing nets,
some strategy games,
and some really amazing traditional carved weapons.
There was still more to see and more people to talk with when we had to leave. It was a fantastic day.
We had the great luck of visiting during the annual Cultural Festival. I discovered that festivals are a little hit or miss. There was a festival I anticipated being a huge deal on King Kamehameha day; we had scouted out parking and wondered if we'd spend the entire day there. As it turned out, parking was not a problem, there were three craft booths and some folks from the senior citizens center doing hula. So it didn't really take the entire day. On the other hand, the Cultural Festival was pretty amazing. There were many craftsman and artisans who practiced old Hawai'ian arts such as weaving, carving, dancing, and fishing. Many had crafts that we could participate in for free; I wove a bracelet from dried leaves, and the boys made a bamboo instrument and sanded and hollowed out some decorative gourds, all of which we brought home. There were outrigger canoes and catamarans to take rides on.
There were some very good hula dancers. They were from Oregon (?). I grew very fond of hula dancing on this trip. There is something wonderful about a dance style that can look beautiful and feminine even if the woman is seventy years old or overweight. It is very experessive and engaging to watch, and can be feminine without being sexual. And it is so inclusive. The city of Hilo has a slightly cheesy song "Hilo, My Hometown". There is a dance to go along with it, and it seems everyone knows it. Several times we witnessed the song, and people spontaneously joining in the dance. I like that. The hula dancers at the festival were more traditional. Some of the individual dancers were very good, and some not as much, but the effect was still striking, and I like that too.
And there were some games of skill,
some tossing of fishing nets,
some strategy games,
and some really amazing traditional carved weapons.
There was still more to see and more people to talk with when we had to leave. It was a fantastic day.
posted by Gina at 7:49 PM
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