Emerging From the Sands of Oahu, a Glimpse of the Past

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 have peeled 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 is visible since they were first spotted nine years ago by two guests staying at a bayside US Army recreation center in Waianae, about an hour's drive from Honolulu, per the AP.

It's difficult to date petroglyphs, but an archaeological site in the area is from about 600 years ago, says Laura Gilda, an archaeologist with US Army Garrison Hawaii. Scientists 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, an Army report notes. The entire panel stretches about 115 feet long, per Gilda. 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 says.

They remained visible for a period and then got covered again. "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 notes. Based on the teachings he learned, Native Hawaiian cultural practitioner Glen Kila, 72, who traces his lineage to the aboriginal families of this coastal Hawaii community, says 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.

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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. "It felt interesting to ... have a connection with the past like that." More here.