Bobby Brady and the Tiki Gods at Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau (Big Island of Hawaii)

by Steve Reiss (Dalmdad Landscape Photography - www.dalmdad.com and https://www.facebook.com/Dalmdad.)


I admit that growing up, I had a soft-spot for The Brady Bunch.  Pig-tailed Cindy (Susan Olsen) was my favorite. 

I especially liked the three-episode sequence where they went to Hawaii and Bobby found the Tiki statue at the construction site.

Ki'i (tikis) located at Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park

Heck, the episodes even inspired the Presidents of the USA to write Tiki God.  The most awesome lyrics....

Bobby Brady found the idol in the rubble
Had no idea it would cause so much trouble
When Greg tried to throw it back in the ocean
There was a rumble an awful commotion
Don't ask me how but the tiki found Bobby
He thought the idol was some Hawaiian hobby
Turned out the God was mean and vicious
Didn't respond to Bobby's 3 wishes 

 --from "Tiki God" by The Presidents of the USA (1997)

Ki'i (tikis) located at Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park

Ki'i (tikis) located at Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park

Ki'i (tikis) located at Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park

All ki'i (carved wooden images) shown here are located at Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park.  Conversions to b&w made due to the fact that the weather was awful, making the coloring of the images unacceptable.

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Imagine you had just broken the sacred laws, the Kapu, and the only punishment was death.  Your only chance of survival is to elude your pursuers and reach the Pu'uhonua, a place of refuge.  The Pu'uhonua protected the kapu breaker, civilians during the time of war and the defeated warriors.  No harm could come to those who reached the boundaries of the place of refuge. From the National Park Service website.

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Prints available by special order at www.dalmdad.com.  Contact steve@dalmdad.com.