I saw several wasps flitting around a Milo tree at Lapakahi recently. What I found interesting was that none of them paid attention to the flowers, but they were more interested in the buds about to bloom. Not sure what that was about.
In this view of the coast at Lapakahi State Historical Park, the large rock in the foreground was believed to be the home of Ku’ula, the fishing god. Local fishermen would leave a portion of their catch for him and, in return, would catch many fish next time they went out.
A view of the light tower between Lapakahi and Mahukona on a day when the swells were rolling in.
These photos were taken at Lapakahi State Historical Park. This year, North Kohala was awash with Painted Lady Butterflies and the park was no exception. The butterflies were all over the Ma’o flowers and pretty much anything else that came into bloom.
Kōnane is an old Hawaiian game with similarities to checkers or draughts but with more complications. It’s played on a board, or papamū, which can vary in size and material.
Older boards were often made in suitable rocks by creating hollows for the pieces to sit in. Sizes varied with most being rectangular with sizes such as a 14 by 17 configuration. The bigger the board, the longer the game. Game pieces were small pebbles of black lava and white coral. These days, wooden boards are common and some are made of cloth for portability. Square boards are more usual now such as an 8 by 8 configuration.
These photos were taken at Lapakahi State Historical Park, which was the location of an old Hawaiian village. The papamū in the top photo and the slider was probably made relatively recently judging by the smooth hollows for the pieces, but the board in the bottom photo was probably used by inhabitants of the village and show that boards weren’t necessarily a regular shape. Such irregularities only added to the challenge of the game.
To play kōnane, the board is set up as in the photos with black and white pieces on alternating squares. A correctly set up board should show all one color pieces on a diagonal line. After colors are chosen and the first two pieces removed, players alternate turns in jumping over the other player’s piece or pieces, removing those that have been jumped. Moves can be made up, down, or to the side, but not on the diagonal or around corners. The object of the game is to be the last player to make a move.
Kōnane was hugely popular in Hawaii, but was frowned on by missionaries who disapproved of the unproductive time spent playing and the rampant gambling on games. These days, it’s becoming more popular again, with tournaments and online games being held.
For more information about kōnane, go to hawaiiancheckers.com.
My immediate response to this sign, at Lapakahi Historical Park, was to think, ‘You mean, before I fall in the water.’ In truth, the sign is there because the land to the right of it is no longer park property. I’m just not sure why they oriented the sign this way, but there’s a nice, simple bench next to the sign where one can contemplate the matter
The sun sets off the old Hawaiian settlement of Lapakahi on the North Kohala coast.
The high winds of a few weeks ago caused a fair amount of damage around the island. At Lapakahi State Historical Park, this tree was toppled and took out a bench that had been set up in its shade. The bench will have to be fixed and set up somewhere else because that shade isn’t coming back anytime soon.
