Ancient Hawaiian
Petroglyphs
The ancient Hawaiians documented experiences and special occasions with
carvings into rocks. This page contains ancient Hawaiian rock carvings found on the island
of Lanai in the Palawai Basin.
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Below are some of the petroglyphs found on
the Island of Lanai in Hawaii...
 Luahiwa, located
in the Palawai Basin, is the site of 20 boulders on a hillside that are carved with 400
petroglyphs of human figures, dogs, deer, chickens, cows, pigs, turtles, canoes, lizards,
centipedes, and horses created by early Hawaiians. These rock carvings are the best
preserved on the island. The rocks are easily accessible but the hillside is quite steep.
The above
petroglyphs show (on the left) a man riding a horse and (on the right) a man who holding a
canoe paddle above their head. Horses, one stallion and two mares, were first brought to
the Hawaiian Islands in1803 as a gift to King Kamehameha the Great by an American Merchant
Seaman. Cattle were brought to the Hawaiian Islands in 1793 and Axis deer in the mid
1800's. The petroglyph below on the left show a petroglyph of an Axis deer.
Because some of
the petroglyphs have worn over time they are sometimes hard to see. At this petroglyph
site we found evidence that recent visitors used chalk and burned sticks to make them more
visible. Below shows how someone burned a stick to darken turtle petroglyph. This can
damage these historical artifacts or start a brush fire and is not recommended.
Many of
the rocks at this site were covered on all sides with petroglyphs. Some are collections of
drawings depicting an event like a battle or hunt while others are independent drawings.
The rock below seems to depict a hunt showing many men on foot, men on horses, men with
weapons, Axis deer, and dogs.
The lone
petroglyphs of men or women are believed to be drawn to honor a god, someone important, or
to leave a personal marking.
The
photo below on the right did not have any petroglyphs but had many groves worn into it. We
are guessing this rock was used by petroglyph artists to sharpen their tools. Stone implements were the primary tools used to etch, scratch, rub, peck, or
abrade the designs onto stone surfaces.
Petroglyphs were called Ki’i
pokahu by the ancient Hawaiians and are the first form of written language for the
Hawaiians. Other methods of documenting ancient Hawaiian events were hula and chanting
some of which are still performed today.
The rock on the left was
a large collection of petroglyphs depicting a sailing canoe, fishing, canoe paddlers,
warriors, and animals. The photo on the right is the Hawaiian petroglyph of line
marchers.
Driving Directions: Take the
road from Lanai City to Manele Bay. About 1/3 of the way you will see a group of 6 taller
pine trees on the left side of the road. Turn left here onto the dirt road. Drive for 1/2
mile and take a jog to the right, staying on the higher road. 3/10 of a mile along this
road you will see a cluster of boulders on the right side at the base of the hill. The
petroglyphs cover the rocks along this hillside. If you are lucky as you are driving in
this area you will catch a glimpse of birds like grouse and pheasant. Please do not desecrate the petroglyph artifacts by scraping at
them or carving your name in the rocks!
Click here to view more
photos of ancient Hawaiian petroglyphs on Lanai near Shipwreck Beach
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