Kiʻi pōhaku – petroglyphs – are images carved into stone. In Hawaiʻi, we have a rich tradition of these images which extends back to the earliest known settlers.
Exactly who carved them, when, and why are questions with answers as varied as the images themselves.
The first kiʻi pōhaku in Hawaiʻi were carved by the Polynesian explorers and settlers who sailed the Pacific. By looking at the different artistic styles, and comparing them to petroglyphs in other parts of the world, we can make educated guesses as to who the artists were – not as individuals, but as people belonging to their distinct cultures.
The styles also a clue to the age of the images. Different people explored and migrated at different times. Also, by looking at the amount of weathering, we can get some idea of the age of the petroglyphs. The more weathered they are, the older they will tend to be. Of course, kiʻi pōhaku in sheltered areas will be less weathered than kiʻi pōhaku the same age in areas exposed to wind, rain, surf, and footsteps. Another way to get an idea of the age of petroglyphs is to see if they are under or over other petroglyphs. Sometimes a place is so special that it ran out of room for new petroglyphs. In that case, sometimes the artists carved over images which already were there. If we have an idea of the age of one of the petroglyphs, we can tell if the other is older or younger.
Kiʻi pōhaku were carved for many reasons. Some were a record of events such as battles, births, or the visit of an important person. Others may have been made as a prayer or offering. Yet others may have been a way to record a family’s lineage. For some kiʻi pōhaku, we probably will never know. Others have oral traditions which tell us, and others have stories and traditions known only to the descendants of the people who carved them.
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About Leilehua Yuen:
Hawaiʻi and Hawaiian culture are my passion.
I was born in Berkley, California, while my parents were attending the California College of Arts and Crafts. Durning school breaks we came home to the islands and stayed with my father’s parents on a rainforest covered hill in Hilo. After my parents graduated, my time was spent in California and Hawaiʻi, with more and more time in the islands – in Hilo and Puna. My days were filled with sunshine and rain, and I was surrounded by the lush foliage of these green districts.
I teach Hula and Hawaiian culture, and have been an artist and a writer my entire adult life.
As the years went on and I saw the environmental damage that we humans were doing to these islands, I decided to use my art to make a difference. When I married, my husband joined me in this passion for our ʻāina. We use recycled materials and harvest invasive species for our work whenever we can.
During a talk by Pwo Navigator Chad Paishon, he said “He waʻa he moku, he moku he waʻa” – The island is a canoe, the canoe is an island. We have adopted that as a philosophy of our business.
The line of recycled glass jewelry offered here at my Etsy shop is my way of putting this philosophy into practice. We import so many things to our island, and have no place to put the trash. By developing lines of jewelry and household items made from recycled materials, I hope to bring awareness of the need to recycle, and to reduce our carbon footprint. It is my dream that selling these little pieces will help me to someday run my kilns entirely off renewable energy.
Our main business website is at www.LeiManu.com. We decided to focus our Etsy shops more narrowly, to make it easier for people to find what they are looking for.
Mahalo for taking the time to learn about my work,
Leilehua Yuen