Early Hawaiian petroglyphs on a beach are visible again with changing tides and shifting sands

WAIANAE Hawaii AP Hawaiian petroglyphs dating back at least a half-millennium are visible on Oahu for the first time in years thanks to seasonal ocean swells that peel away sand covering a panel of more than two dozen images of mostly human-looking stick figures The petroglyphs are easy to spot during low tide when gentle waves ebb and flow over slippery neon-green algae growing on a stretch of sandstone This is the first time the entire panel of petroglyphs are visible since they were first spotted nine years ago by two guests staying at a bayside U S Army recreation center in Waianae about an hour s drive from Honolulu Native Hawaiian cultural practitioner Glen Kila who traces his lineage to the aboriginal families of this coastal Hawaii society revealed he believes the resurfacing of the traditional marvels are his ancestors sending a message It s telling the society that the ocean is rising commented Kila a recognized expert on the local custom and history of Waianae who is consulting with the Army on the protection of the petroglyphs Army administrators are trying to balance protecting the petroglyphs with their accessibility on a masses beach John and Sandy Stone consulted tide charts and drove about minutes from their home early Tuesday to get a glimpse after a watching a local TV overview about the petroglyphs It was so engaging to touch them commented John Stone who splits his time between Hawaii and California It felt fascinating to kind of have a connection with the past like that It is laborious to date petroglyphs but an archaeological site in the area is from about years ago commented Laura Gilda an archaeologist with U S Army Garrison Hawaii According to Kila Hawaiians arrived in Waianae at least years ago Shift in waves caused petroglyphs to appear The beach here fluctuates in size and profile each year with low-pressure weather systems that form in the eastern Pacific between May and November causing waves that cut away loose sand from shorelines and redeposit them further out according to an Army review on the petroglyphs That shift is likely what causes their temporary exposure Archaeologists identified a total of petroglyphs Of the anthropomorphic stick figures eight are depicted with manageable male genitalia and the remainder are of undetermined gender the account announced The entire panel stretches about feet meters long Gilda declared When the petroglyphs first reemerged in July it was after late spring and early summer storms including hurricanes with a lot of wave action that swept the sand away Gilda declared They remained visible for a period and then got covered again So there s been portions that have been exposed since then but this is the first summer that the whole panel has been exposed again Gilda stated Petroglyphs are telling a religious story expert says Based on the teachings Kila learned the lineal petroglyphs appear to be telling a religious ceremonial story He interprets the largest figure which appears to include hands and fingers with one arm raised and the other down to represent the rising and setting sun Kila noted that when the military in the s took over the area and evicted Native Hawaiians including his family who lived there for generations his great-great grandmother refused to leave so his family exchanged mountain lands with a coffee plantation so she could remain near the bay In an interview included in the Army s assessment he recalled growing up in Waianae without television So the ocean and mountains were our playground he noted The Army recreation center was off-limits to the pubic and the seawall was the barrier between Native Hawaiians and the military Kila announced Kila now recalled that if they walked on top of the wall they were clubbed and pushed off by military police We were proud and knew where we came from so we never fostered any hatred for the military because one day we supposed that the land will eventually return to us he reported Kila while visiting the petroglyphs earlier this week communicated The Associated Press that the Army s protection of them represents a shift in that public relationship Administrators have been grappling with how to share the petroglyphs with the population while also protecting them Gilda declared How much attention do you want to bring to this area You don t really want people to go digging for them when they re not exposed she announced But they re certainly awesome to come and see on the citizens beachscape Donald Kauli a a Native Hawaiian who was born and raised in Waianae snapped photos of the petroglyphs Tuesday Seeing them he noted feels like validation that our ancestors were from here Source