Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 5, Number 9, 1 Kepakemapa 1988 — Cover Photo [ARTICLE]

Cover Photo

Vandals attempted to chisel out this Puako petroglyph and to steal it.

Puako is a small village in South Kohala that is famous for its many fields of petroglyphs. It is the legendary home of Pupualenalena, the dog thief. The rock carvings were endangered last year when a forest fire threatened Puako and bulldozers crisscrossed the area while fighting the fire. Hawaiians and archaeoiogists have noted in recent years that the petroglyphs are being loved to death. The site is beginning to show the wear and tear of thousands of visitors who find their way to the unmarked site every year.

The Waimea Hawaiian Civic Club is concerned about the site, and there is an ongoing dialogue between the club, the Department of Land and Natural Resources, the Mauna Lani Hotel, and the Rock Art Association of Hawaii to do something to protect the site. The Puako petroglyphs are mostly on State land, and were proposed for development as a state park many years ago, but priorities have favored acquisition over development. The Puako Petroglyphs were placed on the Hawaii Register of Historic Places in 1982, and on the National Register in 1983.