ASSOCIATED PRESS
Hilo police Lt. Randall Medeiros, left, and Capt. Larry Weber yesterday surveyed graffiti sprayed on the Naha Stone in front of Hilo Library. A damaged U.S. flag with animal bones was left on top of the stone.
Hilo’s sacred stones
tagged againThe message behind the Hawaiian
graffiti remains a mystery
For the second time in nine days, someone painted graffiti on two large, culturally significant stones in front of the Hilo Public Library.
Library staff discovered the vandalism when they reported to work yesterday morning. Police say the incident occurred sometime between 7:15 p.m. Wednesday and 6:15 a.m. yesterday.
As they had on Nov. 11, the vandal or vandals painted the dates "1893-2004" in white on the 3 1/2-ton Naha Stone. The Hawaiian monarchy was overthrown in 1893, but the reference to the two years is unclear.
In yesterday's incident, both the Naha and the companion Pinao Stone were also defaced with a number of Hawaiian words.
A torn U.S. flag and an animal jawbone were left on top of the Naha Stone. The Hawaiian words "mai" (come) and "aihue" (take) were spray-painted on the flag.
The Hawaiian words scrawled on the stones were difficult to read, and there was some disagreement on what they were.
What appeared to be the phrase "He Noa Keakua" was painted on the large Naha Stone.
"That's what it says," said Kalani Kay. "It means 'In God We Trust.'"
Kay was one of a half-dozen members of the Order of Kamehameha I, a Hawaiian cultural preservation group, who cleaned the stones with wire brushes and a power washer yesterday.
The words "heinoa," "keakua," "pau," "mau" and "mahiki" were written on the smaller Pinao Stone, which is thought to have been an entrance stone of the ancient Pinao Temple, which once stood near the site of today's library.
"The words are wrong -- like the person doesn't really know how to write Hawaiian," said Kay. "It's kind of a pidgin, and I can't be sure what it means."
Police said they have enlisted the assistance of an authority on native Hawaiian culture and language to learn more about the significance of the phrases painted on the stones. For now the message remains a mystery.
"I've had several different people tell me what was written, and everyone said something different," said Kalena Silva, professor of Hawaiian studies at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. "I couldn't begin to guess about what it means."
The graffiti had already been removed before Silva had the chance to view the stones. He did, however, lament the "awful desecration of our sacred stones" while lauding that the sacred relics were directly accessible to the community.
"Most objects this artistically and culturally important are in museums," he said. "I don't understand why anyone would do this. Until now people have always respected them."
Police have classified the vandalism as a criminal property damage case. Anyone with information about the case or the identity of the perpetrators can call the police nonemergency number at 935-3311 or CrimeStoppers at 961-8300 in Hilo or 329-8181 in Kona.
