Rock Art of Hawaii Island

Petroglyph comprehension depends on a lost prehistoric dictionary. These engraved symbols tantalize our imaginations but remain beyond our reach like an empty hyperlink.

Native Images

Petroglyphs are footnotes of a long gone belief-system. The ki'i pohaku were not considered art even by their creators. We can learn about them by imagining what purposes they served. These stone-engraved marks are the by-product of an oral culture representing abstractions of forgotten legends.

Ki'i Pohaku O Ka'u #65

The messages of Identity, the expression of life are behind man's desire to make a mark upon the world or give birth to an idea which will outlive our mortality. Using the lava tablets at their feet an oral tradition was punctuated and illustrated with symbols from an ancient belief-system. But the chants, the words which accompanied these images are today unspoken and forgotten.

Ki'i Pohaku O Hawaii #11

Ki'i Pohaku O Hawaii #25

Ki'i Pohaku O Hawaii #10

The painting medium for the images depicted here is acrylic on panel.

KI'I (Picture) POHAKU (Stone) Hawaiian Literally

As an artist I tried to abstractly coordinate image with the lava surfaces using painting techniques best described as messy. I also took in-field measurements to accurately size my 'petroglyph portraits'.

Ki'i Pohaku O Hawaii # 24

The earliest pictograms, petroglyphs and carvings of Polynesia and the prehistoric Americas represent living relationships and legendary associations with gods and other celestial happenings. Constellations, stars and planets were known and named in the ancient astrological catalog. It's evident that awareness of the entire cosmos and its multi-dimensional aspects were known to people who didn't need a particle accelerator or
television to discover things they couldn't touch. Read more about petroglyphs..