Laie (, ) is a census-designated place (CDP) located in the Koolauloa District on the island of Oahu () in Honolulu County, Hawaii, United States. In Hawaiian, means " leaf" ( is a climbing screwpine: Freycinetia arborea). The population was 5,963 at the 2020 census. History Historically, was a , a sanctuary for fugitives. While a fugitive was in the , it was unlawful for that fugitive's pursuers to harm him or her. During wartime, spears with white flags attached were set up at each end of the city of refuge. If warriors attempted to pursue fugitives into the , they would be killed by sanctuary priests. Fugitives seeking sanctuary in a city of refuge were not forced to permanently live within the confines of its walls. Instead, they were given two choices. In some cases, after a certain length of time (ranging from a couple of weeks to several years), fugitives could enter the service of the priests and assist in the daily affairs of the . A second option was that after a certain length of time the fugitives would be free to leave and re-enter the world unmolested. Traditional cities of refuge were abolished in 1819. The history of began long before European contact. The name is said to derive from two Hawaiian words: meaning "leaf", and referring to the (red-spiked climbing screwpine, Freycinetia arborea), which wreaths forest trees of the uplands or regions of the mountains of the Range behind the community of . In Hawaiian mythology, this red-spiked climbing screwpine is sacred to , god of the earth, god of life, and god of the forests, as well as to , the patron goddess of the hula. The name becomes more environmentally significant through the Hawaiian oral history () entitled . In this history, the term , which means "in the water", also belongs to the food-producing tree called . The tree was planted in a place called 's garden, which is closely associated with the spiritual home, after her birth and relocation of . According to Hawaiian oral traditions, the planting of the tree in the garden of is symbolic of the reproductive energy of male and female, which union in turns fills the land with offspring. From its close association with nature through its name, and through its oral traditions and history, the community of takes upon itself a precise identification and a