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Gizmodo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
Mysterious Petroglyphs Reemerge on Oahu Beach
Shifting sands have once again revealed mysterious petroglyphs on the shores of a remote group of islands. The carvings appear and disappear depending on the water current, sometimes remaining hidden for years at a time before returning like a divine omen. But they're not (as far as we know) an auspice, and this isn't a fantasy movie. The petroglyphs are carved in sandstone along a beach on Oahu's west coast, in front of a U.S. Army recreation center, and could be over 1,000 years old, as first reported by Hawaii News Now. The carvings consist of 26 individual images, most of which are human stick figures, according to SFGATE. The largest petroglyph is over 8 feet (2.4 meters) tall and almost 8 feet wide, and two especially large human figures have unexpected features: fingers. Their periodic reemergence is dictated by waves and the water current, whose natural processes move sand and sediments along the beach. Two guests staying at the recreation center first spotted the petroglyphs in 2016, according to ABC News. Experts don't know what they mean or exactly how old they are, but a nearby archaeological site is around 600 years old. Glen Kila, a Native Hawaiian cultural practitioner and expert on the local culture and history, believes that the petroglyph's return is a message from his ancestors. 'It's telling the community that the ocean is rising,' Kila, who descends from the coastline's indigenous Hawaiian people, told ABC News. In a 2017 interview with the U.S. Army, Kila said he interpreted one of the fingered human stick figures to be the demigod Maui, according to SFGATE. Maui is a mischievous 'trickster hero' in Polynesian myth with magical powers, frequently considered a demigod. The iconic hero appears in Disney's Moana, voiced by Dwayne Johnson. 'Because he [Maui] played a role in our moolelos over here. And the reason why I say that because the way the fingers are from the east is like the rising sun to the setting sun. So it's a religious symbol,' Kila explained. 'Like what we have for Christianity, the cross or the other symbols.' Moʻolelo is a Hawaiian term that encompasses different meanings, including story, tale, myth, history, tradition, and literature. The Hawaiian Islands were one of the last places on Earth to be settled by humans. Polynesians arrived first and may have made landfall as early as 300 CE. Though the natives didn't have a written language, metal, pottery, or cattle, they were skilled craftsmen of wood, stone, bone, and shell; built huge seafaring vessels; and transmitted their rich culture from generation to generation orally. Petroglyphs were a visual aid to transmit oral stories, according to The History Blog. British explorer Captain James Cook arrived in Hawaii in 1778. After over a century of growing Western influence, businessmen from the United States and Europe, backed by U.S. armed forces, overthrew the Hawaiian monarchy. President William McKinley annexed the territory in 1900. It remains to be seen when the petroglyphs will disappear beneath the sand again. Given the current state of affairs, however, Kila's ancestors could be warning us about a whole slew of environmental and geopolitical missteps.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Early Hawaiian petroglyphs on a beach are visible again with changing tides and shifting sands
US Petroglyphs Hawaii 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 community, said he believes the resurfacing of the traditional marvels are his ancestors sending a message. 'It's telling the community that the ocean is rising,' said Kila, a recognized expert on the local culture and history of Waianae who is consulting with the Army on the protection of the petroglyphs. Army officials are trying to balance protecting the petroglyphs with their accessibility on a public beach. John and Sandy Stone consulted tide charts and drove about 30 minutes from their home early Tuesday to get a glimpse after a watching a local TV report about the petroglyphs. 'It was so interesting to touch them,' said John Stone, who splits his time between Hawaii and California. 'It felt interesting to kind of have a connection with the past like that.' It is difficult to date petroglyphs, but an archaeological site in the area is from about 600 years ago, said Laura Gilda, an archaeologist with U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii. According to Kila, Hawaiians arrived in Waianae at least 1,000 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 report on the petroglyphs. That shift is likely what causes their temporary exposure. Archaeologists identified a total of 26 petroglyphs. Of the 18 anthropomorphic stick figures, eight are depicted with possible male genitalia and the remainder are of undetermined gender, the report said. The entire panel stretches about 115 feet (35 meters) long, Gilda said. When the petroglyphs first reemerged in July 2016, it was after late spring and early summer storms, including hurricanes, with a lot of wave action that swept the sand away, Gilda said. 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 said. 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 said that when the military in the 1930s 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 report, he recalled growing up in Waianae without television. So "the ocean and mountains were our playground,' he said. The Army recreation center was off-limits to the public, and the seawall was the barrier between Native Hawaiians and the military, Kila said. Kila, now 72, 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 believed that the land will eventually return to us,' he said. Kila, while visiting the petroglyphs earlier this week, told The Associated Press that the Army's protection of them represents a shift in that community relationship. Officials have been grappling with how to share the petroglyphs with the community while also protecting them, Gilda said. '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 said. "But they're certainly awesome to come and see on the public beachscape.' Donald Kauliʻa, a Native Hawaiian who was born and raised in Waianae, snapped photos of the petroglyphs Tuesday. Seeing them, he said, feels like 'validation that our ancestors were from here.' Solve the daily Crossword
Globe and Mail
4 days ago
- Globe and Mail
Early Hawaiian petroglyphs on Oahu visible for first time in years
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 centre 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 community, said he believes the resurfacing of the traditional marvels are his ancestors sending a message. 'It's telling the community that the ocean is rising,' said Mr. Kila, a recognized expert on the local culture and history of Waianae who is consulting with the Army on the protection of the petroglyphs. Army officials are trying to balance protecting the petroglyphs with their accessibility on a public beach. John and Sandy Stone consulted tide charts and drove about 30 minutes from their home early Tuesday to get a glimpse after a watching a local TV report about the petroglyphs. 'It was so interesting to touch them,' said John Stone, who splits his time between Hawaii and California. 'It felt interesting to kind of have a connection with the past like that.' It is difficult to date petroglyphs, but an archeological site in the area is from about 600 years ago, said Laura Gilda, an archaeologist with U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii. According to Kila, Hawaiians arrived in Waianae at least 1,000 years ago. 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 report on the petroglyphs. That shift is likely what causes their temporary exposure. Archaeologists identified a total of 26 petroglyphs. Of the 18 anthropomorphic stick figures, eight are depicted with possible male genitalia and the remainder are of undetermined gender, the report said. The entire panel stretches about 35 meters long, Ms. Gilda said. When the petroglyphs first re-emerged in July 2016, it was after late spring and early summer storms, including hurricanes, with a lot of wave action that swept the sand away, Gilda said. 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,' Ms. Gilda said. Based on the teachings Mr. 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. Mr. Kila said that when the military in the 1930s 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 report, he recalled growing up in Waianae without television. So 'the ocean and mountains were our playground,' he said. The Army recreation centre was off-limits to the public, and the seawall was the barrier between Native Hawaiians and the military, Mr. Kila said. Mr. Kila, now 72, 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 believed that the land will eventually return to us,' he said. Mr. Kila, while visiting the petroglyphs earlier this week, told The Associated Press that the Army's protection of them represents a shift in that community relationship. Officials have been grappling with how to share the petroglyphs with the community while also protecting them, Ms. Gilda said. '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 said. 'But they're certainly awesome to come and see on the public beachscape.' Donald Kauliʻa, a Native Hawaiian who was born and raised in Waianae, snapped photos of the petroglyphs Tuesday. Seeing them, he said, feels like 'validation that our ancestors were from here.'
CTV News
4 days ago
- CTV News
Early Hawaiian petroglyphs on a beach are visible again with changing tides and shifting sands
WAIANAE, Hawaii — 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 centre 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 community, said he believes the resurfacing of the traditional marvels are his ancestors sending a message. 'It's telling the community that the ocean is rising,' said Kila, a recognized expert on the local culture and history of Waianae who is consulting with the Army on the protection of the petroglyphs. Army officials are trying to balance protecting the petroglyphs with their accessibility on a public beach. John and Sandy Stone consulted tide charts and drove about 30 minutes from their home early Tuesday to get a glimpse after a watching a local TV report about the petroglyphs. 'It was so interesting to touch them,' said John Stone, who splits his time between Hawaii and California. 'It felt interesting to kind of have a connection with the past like that.' It is difficult to date petroglyphs, but an archaeological site in the area is from about 600 years ago, said Laura Gilda, an archaeologist with U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii. According to Kila, Hawaiians arrived in Waianae at least 1,000 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 report on the petroglyphs. That shift is likely what causes their temporary exposure. Archaeologists identified a total of 26 petroglyphs. Of the 18 anthropomorphic stick figures, eight are depicted with possible male genitalia and the remainder are of undetermined gender, the report said. The entire panel stretches about 115 feet (35 metres) long, Gilda said. When the petroglyphs first reemerged in July 2016, it was after late spring and early summer storms, including hurricanes, with a lot of wave action that swept the sand away, Gilda said. 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 said. 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 said that when the military in the 1930s 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 report, he recalled growing up in Waianae without television. So 'the ocean and mountains were our playground,' he said. The Army recreation centre was off-limits to the public, and the seawall was the barrier between Native Hawaiians and the military, Kila said. Kila, now 72, 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 believed that the land will eventually return to us,' he said. Kila, while visiting the petroglyphs earlier this week, told The Associated Press that the Army's protection of them represents a shift in that community relationship. Officials have been grappling with how to share the petroglyphs with the community while also protecting them, Gilda said. '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 said. 'But they're certainly awesome to come and see on the public beachscape.' Donald Kauliʻa, a Native Hawaiian who was born and raised in Waianae, snapped photos of the petroglyphs Tuesday. Seeing them, he said, feels like 'validation that our ancestors were from here.' Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, The Associated Press
The Independent
5 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Mystery over 500-year-old petroglyphs that have washed up on a beach
Ancient Hawaiian petroglyphs, some dating back at least 500 years, have re-emerged on Oahu 's coastline, revealing over two dozen human-like stick figures. Seasonal ocean swells cleared the sand, making the entire 35-metre panel fully visible for the first time since its discovery nine years ago at a US Army recreation centre in Waianae. Native Hawaiian cultural practitioner Glen Kila interprets the carvings as a message from ancestors, potentially about rising ocean levels, and views their protection by the Army as a positive shift in community relations. Army officials are balancing the preservation of these historical carvings with ensuring public accessibility on the beach. The temporary exposure of the 26 identified petroglyphs is attributed to natural beach fluctuations and wave action.
