Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - A Relaxing Visit to the Place of Refuge (Hawaii #2)

Starting point is 00:00:00 Get Sleepy is a production of Slumber Studios. To listen, add free, access our entire catalogue of episodes and support the show directly. Check out our premium feed by going to get sleepy.com slash support. Now, a quick word from our sponsors. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. For some of us, summer is the best season. We often spend time traveling. attending weddings and celebrations, or if you have kids planning lots of days out. However, juggling it all can get pretty tough and overwhelming.

Starting point is 00:00:41 It's the time of year where I found I can easily end up making too many plans, and eventually I sense my social battery feeling utterly depleted. I think it's so key to keep the occasional weekend as free of plans as possible. Therapy can help people better understand to their needs, feel more common. confident about setting boundaries and create a version of summer that actually feels good. With over 30,000 therapists, BetterHelp is the world's largest online therapy platform, and it's such a great place to start your therapy journey. BetterHelp covers the usually tricky job of matching you with the right therapist,

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Starting point is 00:02:11 to be the most natural, soothing and effective way to fall asleep, listening along to our voices and bedtime tales as you settle down for some rest. Tonight, in the second of three stories from this miniseries, we'll continue our relaxing journey to a few of the natural wonders of Hawaii. If you haven't heard the first story, that's perfectly fine. You don't have to listen to all three episodes in order, and you can take your time making your way through them however you like. It's all about relaxation and reveling in the wonders of the natural world. In this episode, we'll explore an early Hawaiian royal area and sacred,

Starting point is 00:03:07 grounds, which are now a U.S. National Historical Park. A big thank you to Leila for writing these lovely travel tales, which I've had the pleasure of recording for you all, to get into the mood for our story and prepare for a restful night. Close your eyes and let the modern world receive, gently exhale the residual thoughts and concerns from your day. Allow your imagination to travel away from the everyday focus. Instead, let your mind's eye sweep over the great arc of time. View it with detachment and equanimity. If feelings pop up,

Starting point is 00:04:22 observe them, but try not to engage with them too much. Just adopt a relaxed posture and an easy-going attitude. Feelings come, feelings go, thoughts come, thoughts go. Your calmness and open mind always remain. Breathe gently and relax. And now, let's travel to the edge of the Great Pacific Ocean on the Big Island of Hawaii. This is where our story begins. The morning sun is bright in a clear blue sky. You're on the western coast of the western coast of

Starting point is 00:06:08 Hawaii, the big island of the Hawaiian Island chain that shares its name. The air is warm but comfortable as a light breeze sweeps off the Pacific Ocean and over the shoreline. You've just arrived at the place of refuge, a national historical park where you're going to visit a significant site from the traditional Hawaiian culture. It's an important ceremonial space perched on the sea shore, with a large wall surrounding its landward sides. Within the enclosure, residences, temples and ceremonial structures once stood. The place was a refuge, and a refuge. where ancient Hawaiians could seek safety and forgiveness if they broke the sacred order of laws that regulated Hawaiian society.

Starting point is 00:07:37 Under this system, there were hallowed rules that controlled the different parts of traditional life, including fishing, planting, and harvesting. Breaking these laws was a very serious matter, but an offender could seek forgiveness within the place of refuge. The idea of refuge had its roots in the wider Polynesian culture, from which Hawaiian society sprang. Many centuries ago, Polynesians settled on the Hawaiian islands, bringing their culture with them, which subsequently evolved into a local variation. A chief could declare land or buildings as places of refuge, and they would remain so as long as the chief's power continued.

Starting point is 00:08:55 It's believed that this place of refuge, preserved now as a national park, was first designated sacred some 450 years ago by the ruling chief of Kona, which is now the name of the main town on this side of the island. As you enter the area, you take note of signs asking you to respect the sacred space and to follow the Hawaiian tradition of asking permission from the ancestors in order to enter. You pause and close your eyes for a moment, breathing evenly and intentionally emptying your mind. You reach out with your thoughts to all those who came before you. You fill your mind with gratitude for their legacy and request their acceptance as you venture forth. Then you open your rise again to the sunny scene before you and look around to the place with interest.

Starting point is 00:10:30 Graceful palm trees rise out of the sandy ground. Black lava rock stretches out at the shore into the blue waters of the Pacific. The wall that surrounds the sacred space is known as the Great Wall. It's an L-shaped structure that borders the area on its eastern and southern sides, with the ocean itself completing the enclosure, according to one of the earliest written descriptions of the place, recorded in 1823 by a missionary and ethnographer named Reverend William Ellis. A low fence once connected to the wall and sea enclosure along the north-west end. You can understand why it's called the Great Wall, according to information provided by the National Park Service. It's almost 12 feet tall, 18 feet thick, and stretches around 965 feet

Starting point is 00:12:05 Early Hawaiians built a wall more than four centuries ago, using traditional techniques known as dry masonry. This meant fitting together stones in such a way that they would remain stacked without mortar or cement to bind them in place. The wall originally included outer portions faced with smooth volcanic stones. Though these are no longer there, within the enclosure, an important area of the place of refuge is known as the Royal Grounds. Chief's residences were located here, as well as some ceremonial structures. The Royal Grounds lie at the edge of a small and picturesque cove, around the grounds

Starting point is 00:13:17 are cup holes, which scholars believe may have held sacred sticks that marked the bounds of the chief's area. Nearby, you see a that thudged structure reconstructed from historical drawings. It is a recreation of a sacred building that once stood here. And nowadays, it functions again as a ceremonial site for native Hawaiians. This was the location of a consecrated mausoleum, built under the reign of a chief who was in power around the year 1700. The building was later dismantled under orders from a Hawaiian queen in 1829. But in more recent times, the National Park Service, worked with the native Hawaiians from the area. To reconstruct the building, they used an 1823 drawing of the structure, along with notes from an early European visitor aboard a ship called

Starting point is 00:14:51 the HMS Blonde. They tried to make it as close as possible to how it was in earlier times. The frame of the building is made from the wood of a native tree of the buckthorn family. This is covered with dried leaves from a local reed-like plant called the tea plant, spelled tea-eye, whose long, thin leaves have been widely used in traditional Hawaiian crafts. A fence of coconut tree logs surrounds the bush-oenix of coconut tree logs surrounds the bush. building. Outside it stand carved wooden statues. These were made in recent years by native Hawaiian carvers, drawing on their family knowledge of traditional ways in order to replace statues that once stood here. Since these traditional sacred statues are made of wood, they naturally deteriorate

Starting point is 00:16:15 deteriorate over time, the modern ones need to be replaced periodically, just as they would have been in times of old. And so, carrying on time-tested traditions, local carvers make new statues when needed to replace the weathered ones. Many of these carvers are family members of the artisans who created the previous statues. This continuity is pleasing and encouraging, you think. It reminds you that people have passed on knowledge and wisdom since the earliest prehistory, building on that past in new and creative ways that respect tradition and even enhance it just in land.

Starting point is 00:17:29 of this reconstructed temple is a site that once held another sacred structure, also thatched with dried tea leaves. Much of what is known today about that structure comes via an archaeologist who spoke with elderly Hawaiians in 1919. He conversed with various elders, including one named Ma Inui, who was around 95 years old. According to these elders, the structure that once stood here had been a temple which the community used for prayers. These prayers were held four times a month during eight months of the year. Besides the temple sites, the royal grounds also include a canoe landing and fish ponds that were used by Hawaiian royalty, near the cove around which the royal grounds cluster.

Starting point is 00:18:54 There is also a large platform that's believed to have held a chief's house. An impressive eight-foot retaining wall fronted the platform on the ocean side. In the 1960s, the platform was restored. to how it was in olden times. You observe it with interest, feeling grateful for all the care that a multitude of people have put into preserving this place. And that is an ongoing effort,

Starting point is 00:19:41 as with the carved wooden statues. The other parts of this historic park and Hawaiian sacred space evolve over time. The National Park Service collaborates with native Hawaiian caretakers to continue to repair and restore the existing structures. This has involved re-thatching the roof and walls of the temple. Just as earlier Hawaiians must have done on a semi-regular basis centuries ago. The site also continues to be used as a sacred place. Throughout the year, various religious and cultural ceremonies are held here, following a lunar calendar used in Hawaiian

Starting point is 00:20:45 tradition. For example, Hawaiian New Year is observed in this space annually. During these ceremonies, the carved wooden statues are dressed in cloth in accordance with native Hawaiian tradition. You take a moment to turn in a slow circle, absorbing these old royal and sacred lands and the placid blue waters of the cove. Then you take a deep breath and give silent thanks for this. this experience and for the opportunity to enjoy this lovely place. The air is warm and calm, and you can hear the soft lapping of waves against the rocks. You feel the sun shining down on you and the ancient landscape around you.

Starting point is 00:22:08 Next you'll take a hike along a path known as the 1871. trail. Another element of the National Historical Park. This hiking path is a segment of a Hawaiian trail that ran around the coast of the island long ago. It led from the northern tip along the western coast where you are now, and around the southern tip to the eastern side of the island. Early Hawaiians created this track to have a more easily passable route through the fields of lava rock and dense vegetation that alternately cover the island. This coastal route was called the Alaloa, also known as the ancient Hawaiian Kingdom Government Road. The old Alaloa Trail run a hundred and a hundred and a hundred and a few. 75 miles, connecting different communities, royal and religious sites, and other important locations

Starting point is 00:23:36 along the shoreline. The 1871 Trail is just a short section of the full Alaloa. Its modern name comes from the year that this section of the trail was restored. A single historical record dates the restoration to that year. On August 1, 1871, the Conna Road Supervisor, one Henry Cooper, wrote to inform the Minister of the Interior that he had remade two miles of the road on the beach at this site. This bears witness again that, like all things, in this evolving coastal landscape. Trails and roads too need frequent attention and updating.

Starting point is 00:24:48 You set out along the track, which is wide enough for hikers to pass in both directions. In fact, it's what was called a two-horse trail. These were paths that were expressly made to have room for two horses to pass each other. Constructed during the 1800s, these kinds of trails were lined with cobstones, so that horses could easily follow the route with minimal guidance. In 1918, a different section of the trek was remade for the age of automobiles. But this part, remained as it had been in the days of horse travel. Warmth radiates up from the sun-baked rocks and packed dirt of the trail, but the breeze off the Pacific keeps you comfortable.

Starting point is 00:26:08 The turquoise-blue waters lie to your right, just beyond black lava rock that edges the shore and makes up the base of the landscape. all around you. To your left, inland of the trail, green vegetation sprouts up. As the land slopes upwards to the mountains that form the island's interior, you walk along the trail a short way before arriving at an archaeological site. To your left, you see a long, thin rectangle of dark rock on a slight slope. It looks like a miniature runway or a short dead-end road. But in fact, it's an ancient Hawaiian land sledding run. Land sledding, also called sled surfing, was a unique sport that was practiced in traditional Hawaii. Early Hawaiians laid stones on hills.

Starting point is 00:27:37 to create long sloping ramps. They covered these with dirt and reeds, then added oil to make them slick. Riders used carved wooden sleds with two runners to coast down the ramps. Some would stand on the sled with their arms stretched out, like a surfer riding the waves. Others would lie on their chests like a surfer paddling out. Sled surfing was an elite sport in ancient Hawaii, with only chiefs allowed to compete. The sport was practiced during annual New Year's celebrations. Further along the trail, another interesting site awaits. This one is a gameboard, carved into the smooth lava rock. You see small depressions carved into the flat black rock to form a grid that's about a foot and a half square. It's a board for playing Kanane,

Starting point is 00:29:14 a traditional Hawaiian game akin to checkers. These boards are common along this coast. The game is played with black and white pieces, historically made from black lava rock and pieces of light-coloured coral or seashells, still a popular pastime today. The game was important in ancient Hawaii. Early Hawaiians are also said to have used it as a way of settling disputes and for political purposes. According to Hawaiian elders, the game boards may have also been used in other ways. For example, they may have served as calendars and could have been used for accounting, political strategy, charting, navigation, and more. The famous Hawaiian king, Kamehamea Maya, was reportedly a master of the game.

Starting point is 00:30:39 and would play for hours, besting all the members of his entourage. You can imagine sitting here on the sun-worned rock, playing this age-old game of strategy, as the blue water whispered over the shore beside you. The image makes you smile as you begin walking again, eager to see what other fascinating spots lie ahead, granting you a window into history, and the trail doesn't disappoint. For just a little further on, you see a wall of stacked rocks beside the path. Maybe three feet tall. You look around and notice that this wall turns away from the trail to form a rectangle. Such walls were used to mark boundaries or property limits, as well as to enclose animal

Starting point is 00:32:02 pens or gardens, which is probably what this was. Up ahead, low cliffs rise just inland. The cliffs form a semicircle, like a kind of natural amphitheatre, sometime roughly a thousand years ago. Lava from the Mauna Loa volcano flowed over this landscape on its way to the sea, when that flow cooled and turned to rock. It formed these cliffs. The surface of the jet black lava rock is tremendously varied. There are smooth patches and rough ones, swells and waves, ups and downs.

Starting point is 00:33:08 where the surface rises and falls. All these features capture the motion of the once molten rock that ran like a great river over the ground. The writer Mark Twain compared to these cliff sides to a petrified Niagara Falls. A cascade of lava that cooled and turned to stone, framed in this natural amphitheatre with the dramatic black cliffs wrapping around it. There once stood another temple. Today, you can see the remains of that structure in the form of a large amount of lava rocks

Starting point is 00:34:06 that had been its building materials. You gaze at the setting framed by the stone waterfall of the cliffs, And imagine how it must have looked in the temple's heyday. Given the striking landscape and the quality of rubble left behind, it must have been a very impressive sight. It's uncertain now exactly what this particular temple was used for. But local Hawaiians believe its purpose may have involved astronomical observation, or practices related to fishing.

Starting point is 00:35:03 Your imagination wanders the misty landscape of the past as you walk onwards. You only partially take in the beautiful scenery around you, as your mind's eye is still reconstructing the ancient temple. Soon though, more features of the here and now. your attention back to the present moment. In front of you, the trail proceeds up a ramp to a plateau, some 20 feet above. The ramp is built out of stacked lava rock, with higher rock walls lining its sides. You follow it, climbing towards the cliff-top plateau. When you reach the top, you see a small wooden bench beneath a tree. You sit down in the shade and look around

Starting point is 00:36:20 you. The shady patch feels cool and comfortable as you gaze out over the deep blue of the Pacific Ocean. You look down and see the waves splashing against the shoreline and coconut trees. growing along the coast. From this panoramic viewpoint, you can also look at the volcanic cliff sides towards the mountainous middle of the island. You can see across the ocean all the way to the place where the deep blue water meets the paler blue of the sky. This was the location of an isolated cliff-top village, whose people cultivated gardens upland towards the mountains, and harvested the bounty of the sea. Your mind is travelling into the past again, imagining a life here in this lovely place, simply living off the land as people had done for generations.

Starting point is 00:37:53 The modern ramp that led up the cliffside didn't exist then, but villages would have traversed its predecessor whenever they needed something beyond the confines of their homes and their upland gardens. Whatever they brought back from elsewhere, they would have carried on foot, or perhaps sometimes packed on the back of a mule as they climbed up the old trail after your brief stop on the little bench. You're feeling well rested and curious to see what lies ahead. You stand up and take a few light stretches. You lift your arms over your head and arch your back. inhaling a great lungful of the clean sea air.

Starting point is 00:39:06 Then you walk on along the trail. To visit the ancient settlement, you see the remains of wars on the inland side of the path. This is where the village's houses stood, as well as their animal pens. Within the walls were stone house platform. platforms. Upon these platforms would have been homes made of thatched grass. These houses consisted of a single large room, shared by the whole family. There were no bathrooms in these grass houses. People simply bathed in the ocean below the lava cliffs. Of course, there was no electricity either, and the stars must have shone like fairy lights in the dark Pacific nights.

Starting point is 00:40:29 But the locals could brighten the darkness when they chose by lighting strings of dried, oil-rich nuts, like little lanterns. In the spaces around the grass homes, Residents would grow any plants that could handle the dry coastal environment, but most of their food growing took place inland where there was more rain. The spot has access to fishing, water, and fertile upland fields, all of which made it a desirable place to live. Fishing was a major way that Hawaiians sustained themselves and their communities, and the traditional techniques had been honed for generations into an efficient way of life. Hawaiian fishermen made their gear by hand. They hewed canoes from felled trees and paddled out from the coast in search of seafood. like mackerel scat, tuna, and octopus.

Starting point is 00:42:08 They would attract fish by feeding them, and they would bang on the outside of the canoe to draw the fish's attention. To see under the water, the fishermen used an ingenious method. According to stories from one of the families that resided in this village, they put oil into the water from local cuckooey nuts. The same nuts they used as lanterns. The floating oil created a kind of window that let them look down below the surface.

Starting point is 00:42:59 Eventually, though, by the early 1900s, the villagers moved away from this spot. They were drawn to other areas where they could be. be closer to expanding inland agricultural regions and have access to new 20th century roads. You walk slowly through the remains of the village, taking in its sights and listening to the stories from across the years that it seems to whisper into your imagination. After a time, you come upon an old, overgrown trail that runs inland towards the mountains. In early Hawaii, a network of shorter trails connected the shore to the mountains of the interior. These mountain-to-shore trails also connected to the bigger route that circumnavigated the

Starting point is 00:44:18 coast, ancient Hawaiian society divided the land into regions that ran from the mountains to the ocean. Each of these segments sliced neatly across all the various ecosystems of the island. The people living in a given region thus had access to all these different resources. The dry coast gave them access to the ocean fisheries and sea life. The rainy inland contained fertile, well-irrigated fields, where they could grow sweet potatoes, pumpkins, squash, and papaya, as well as sugarcane, bananas, breadfruit, and other food crops. the mountain forests provided larger trees for carving canoes and other wooden items.

Starting point is 00:45:39 All the resources were carefully managed and shared throughout the region. The lateral trails, like this one, connected the shoreline villages with their upland gardens and other inland resources. You stand in the shade of the trees, for some time, contemplating this long-ago trail and settlement, absorbing its rich history, along with the exquisite landscape. And then, at last, you're ready to begin your return track. You again make your way through the remains of the village and back down the trail ramp that brought you to the cliff-top plateau. When you reach sea level once again, you face a choice of roots on the ocean side of the trail. There's another path that leads to the shoreline

Starting point is 00:47:05 and the coconut grove you observed from above. They mark the location of a picnic area and an alternate route Back to your starting point, you decide to go in that direction. You'll pass more historic sites along this route, including early cattle pens, salt pans, the site of a former chief's house, and a sandy beach cove. You'll pause there, you decide, and sit awhile at the edge of the shore. Where the turquoise water meets the bleached coral sand, you'll put your feet in the ocean and let the cool water wash over them, as you think of everything you've seen and learned in this extraordinary place, and then you'll head on again towards other adventures.

Starting point is 00:48:35 as you continue to discover all the wonders that this captivating island has to offer.

Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - A Relaxing Visit to the Place of Refuge (Hawaii #2)

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