Pikos and Petroglyphs

Last Sunday, Fred, Katie and I drove down the Chain of Craters Road to see the Pu'u Loa petroglyphs. These drawings were carved into the 400-700 year-old lava flow by generations of Hawaiians. Pu'u Loa means "hill of long life," and it was the destination of many Hawaiian families when they introduced a new baby to the land. Some of the petroglyphs represent men, but the most common drawings were circles or small holes.

When a baby was born, the family carved a hole (puka) into the land and placed the baby's piko, or umbilical cord, into the hole and covered it with a small rock. The parent's hope was that the mana (spiritual guiding energy) of Pu`u Loa would bless that child with a long and prosperous life, and root them to their ancestral lands.

Nearby the petroglyphs is the Holei sea arch. It was pretty cool, too.


I'll update tomorrow about my library adventures thus far. It's been a hectic day!