HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Nani Peterson has lived on the Waianae Coast her entire life and has never seen large petroglyphs at P?ka?? Bay until today.
“Our kupuna is definitely still here,” said Peterson.
The ki?i p?haku in the shoreline sandstone front cabin 11 at the Pilila?au Army Recreation Center.
The biggest one is more than 3 feet tall.
“These beautiful, beautiful images that they have laid for us to understand and it’s time for us to understand,” said Peterson.
She noticed a big petroglyph with a little one on top of it resembling a parent and child.
The petroglyphs were exposed over the weekend and cultural experts believe they are more than 1,000 years old. They were first discovered in 2016 and residents say they haven’t been seen in years.
“You just never expect anything like that to be discovered especially in our shoreline. I didn’t even know that was possible,” said Nohea Stevens, Waianae Coast resident.
“We have a cultural resources team that works in the Army Garrison to protect and preserve artifacts such as these petroglyphs,” said Nathan Wilkes, U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii external communications chief.
“Littoral shifts that move the sand and sediment off of these petroglyphs happened over the weekend,” he added.
An Army report catalogued 26 petroglyphs spanning about 131 feet of beach. It says their exact age is unknown. Eight of the figures in the beach rock appear to be male.
Experts say the wave deposited sand and algae suggest that unrecorded petroglyphs may still exist.
“They tend to tell a mo?olelo, or story of the place,” said Stevens.
“We are just guessing that this one was more than likely for agriculture,” she added.
We’re told the best time to see the ki?i p?haku is during low tide. When the sand will cover them again is a mystery.
The Army says visitors can walk to the beach site, but must show a military ID to park at the camp.