Day 10

This is the saddest day of all. We have to go home. The good news is it is cold and rainy. That makes it easier to leave. Even Hawaii is sad to see us go home. There is a great beauty in the rain and stormy sea. I wish I had a cozy fireplace to watch it from. We enjoyed our morning walk although the wind was fierce.


On the way to the airport we had one of our most poignant experiences of the entire trip. It was raining like crazy but we still stopped at the ancient birthing stones. This is considered a sacred place to the Hawaiians. Over 50 generations of Hawaiian royalty was born at this spot. Royal birthing practices were different from the commoners.


When the time came for a woman to give birth she would go to what then was a secret spot and in the presence of 36 male chiefs she would position herself at certain stones and in certain ways to give birth while they watched. Within minutes of the birth the child was taken away and the mother would not see her child again until it was grown. That was to ensure that the child would not be murdered, (common among rival chiefs)

The rocks were different shapes. They were very interesting and looked strangely out of place in the secluded meadow, some even had what looked like hand-holds. The rocks are all natural and not man made. The entire area had a special spirit about it. I was grateful that I did not live in a time where you had to give birth on a rock. I also couldn't imagine not seeing your child until adulthood. You could picture how the women gave birth there. It felt very real and personal.