Land Acknowledgement

On behalf of the Activities & Attractions Association of Hawaii, Inc (A3H), we offer this land acknowledgement, acknowledging Hawaiʻi as an indigenous space whose original people are today identified as Native Hawaiians by the federal government. We recognize that in 1893, her majesty Queen Liliʻuokalani yielded the Hawaiian Kingdom under duress in protest to the United States to avoid the bloodshed of her people. We further recognize the generations of Kānaka Maoli and the knowledge systems and lifeways that have shaped and continue to care for Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau to this very day. They do this so that we all can come together with humility in order to learn the history and appreciate this very special and sacred place. From the sands of Keoneʻele, in the ahupuaʻa of Hōnaunau, in the moku of Kona, on the mokupuni of Hawaiʻi, we welcome you to Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park.

People of Early Hawaiʻi

The Hawaii of old was organized into a social structure including chiefs, priests, skilled laborers and commoners. Strict laws existed for each of the separate divisions.

Na Aliʻi – The Chiefs

The aliʻi (royalty, chiefly class) in early Hawaiʻi ruled the islands. It is believed that the aliʻi could trace their ancestry back to the akua (gods) and therefore had the right to rule. The kuleana (responsibility) of the aliʻi was to care for the makaʻāinana (commoners) and the relationship with the akua.