Hawaii’s Back yard
Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi
CHERYL CHEE TSUTSUMI / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-BULLETIN
Petroglyphs such as these can be seen at the Waikoloa Petroglyph Preserve on the Big Island.Petroglyphs give
Na Kii Pohaku information
glimpse of old HawaiiBarren, rocky and baked in the intense heat of the sun, the Waikoloa Petroglyph Preserve isn't, at first glance, the most inviting pocket of the Big Island's Kohala Coast. Look closely, though, and you'll be captivated by intriguing images carved in the lava by Hawaiians who walked here centuries ago.
CORRECTION
Thursday, April 17, 2003» Eighty percent of the petroglyph carvings on the Na Kii Pohaku (Petroglyph) Walk at the Big Island Waikoloa Petroglyph Preserve comprise dots and circles. In the Hawaii's Back Yard column on Page F1 Sunday, the word "percent" was omitted.
The Honolulu Star-Bulletin strives to make its news report fair and accurate. If you have a question or comment about news coverage, call Editor Frank Bridgewater at 529-4791 or email him at corrections@starbulletin.com.Every Monday, Duane Puhi, cultural specialist at the Waikoloa Beach Marriott, an Outrigger Resort, leads the Na Kii Pohaku (Petroglyph) Walk through this 4.5-acre site, which harbors some 3,000 petroglyphs dating as far back as 800 A.D.
It is one of the largest and best-preserved petroglyph fields in Hawaii.
Says Puhi, "What intrigues me about the kii pohaku is that the Hawaiians, who at the time had no written language, were able to communicate with each other by leaving a concentration of dots, lines and circles that may have recorded the number of people in their group, the days of travel or the number of trips made past this area.
"The feeling I get when I go on my walks is one of wonder. I feel my ancestors are with me as I share Hawaii's cultural history with guests."
The most recent petroglyph is more than a century old. As such, the preserve is considered to be an archaeological treasure, and one of the first things Puhi emphasizes is for visitors to be respectful.
CHERYL CHEE TSUTSUMI / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-BULLETIN
A participant on the Na Kii Pohaku Walk gets a close look at a petroglyph depicting a horse and a rider at the Waikoloa Petroglyph Preserve on the Big Island.
"As you're walking, please be careful not to step on any of the petroglyphs, for they are valuable links to the past," he says. "We want to preserve them and we need your help."
THE WORD "PETROGLYPH" is derived from the Greek "petros," meaning stone, and "glyphe," or carving. Scholars believe the linear motifs are the oldest, followed by the triangular figures, then the more muscled, detailed forms. Alphabet letters, dates in Roman numerals and pictures of sailing ships and horses indicate petroglyphs that were made after Western contact. Chiseled with metal instead of stone implements, these "newer" petroglyphs are noticeably more well-defined than the older ones.
Puhi notes about 80 of the carvings in the Waikoloa Petroglyph Preserve are dots and circles, 12 percent are human figures and the remainder are miscellaneous images -- for example, birds, fish, weapons, double-hulled canoes, even a paniolo (cowboy) on a horse.
Although the meanings of these drawings is a subject that has been debated for decades, they remain unclear.
Nineteenth-century missionary William Ellis theorized the petroglyphs were "the first efforts of an uncivilized people toward the construction of a language of symbols. ... On inquiry, we found that they had been made by former travelers, from a motive similar to that which induces a person to carve his initials on a stone or tree, or a traveler to record his name in an album, to inform his successors that he has been there."
Many historians, however, believe the petroglyphs are far more than mere doodles. As Likeke R. McBride points out in his book "Petroglyphs of Hawaii," "Two or three of the fields on Hawaii (the Big Island) were within a half-hour walk of a settlement where water and shade were available. It seems unlikely that sensible people needing rest would stop on a hot, treeless lava flat and engage in a tiring hour of carving a picture for fun."
Moreover, some of the Waikoloa petroglyphs are grouped together, suggesting they may chronicle an event, record genealogy, tell a tale, mark territories or represent guardian spirits.
In ancient Polynesia, even the subtlest expressions held great significance and purpose, and petroglyphs may have been an important part of the Hawaiians' religious rituals.
THE AREA NOW known as the Waikoloa Petroglyph Preserve seems to have been designated for rites related to the birth of children. One of the most common petroglyphs found here is a circle with a dot in the middle of it.
"The dot represents the piko, or umbilical cord," explains Puhi. "A complete circle with a dot in it symbolized a male child who was born, while a half circle with a dot in it was a female child. You will see mostly male symbols here."
When a child was born, his umbilical cord was wrapped in a piece of kapa (tapa), placed over the appropriate petroglyph symbol (male or female), covered with a rock and left overnight.
If the piko was there in the morning, all was well. But if it was gone, villagers assumed a rat took it -- an ill omen. "In folklore," notes Puhi, "the rat was considered to be a crafty thief. So the Hawaiians believed since the child's piko was missing, he must have taken on the qualities of a thief, and therefore his parents gave him away to somebody else to raise."
Puhi is 75 percent Hawaiian, but he admits he didn't know much about petroglyphs prior to landing his job at the Waikoloa Beach Marriott nine months ago.
When he was told guiding the Na Kii Pohaku Walk would be one of his responsibilities, he says, "I read everything I could on the subject" and consulted with Kaleiula Kaneao, who conducts the petroglyph tours for the nearby Kings' Shops (see information box).
"And I'm still learning," Puhi continues. "I'm now able to answer most of the questions visitors have, but sometimes I'm stumped and I have to say, 'I don't know but I'll get back to you.' And I do. That's what's so wonderful about this job; it gives me the opportunity to keep learning."
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Place: Waikoloa Petroglyph Preserve, Waikoloa Resort, Big Island; meet in the lobby of the Waikoloa Beach Marriott. Na Kii Pohaku Walk
Time: 10:30 a.m. Mondays
Cost: Free
Call: 808-886-6789, ext. 10. Reservations are suggested; call at least 24 hours in advance.
Web site: www.waikoloabeachmarriott.com
Tips:
>> Wear sturdy, comfortable walking shoes; light clothing; a hat; and sunscreen. Toting a bottle of water is a good idea.
>> The neighboring Kings' Shops offers free tours of the Waikoloa Petroglyph Preserve at 10:30 a.m. Mondays to Fridays and 8:30 a.m. on weekends. Meet in front of the mall's Food Pavilion. Reservations are not needed. Call 808-886-8811.
Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based free-lance writer
and Society of American Travel Writers award winner.
