On this stretch of Oahu shoreline, ancient Hawaiian petroglyphs were uncovered by waves. U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii This month, large ancient Hawaiian petroglyphs were exposed along the shoreline on Oahu’s west side. Usually covered by sand, they haven’t been seen for years and are believed to be more than 1,000 years old. The petroglyphs are on a beach fronting a U.S. Army recreation center and were uncovered when sand and sediment shifted because of the waves and current. “This is a natural process that uncovers, and eventually recovers, these glyphs and others located around the island,” Nathan Wilkes, external communications chief for the U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii, told SFGATE in an email. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Wilkes said the Army has a team of specialists and archaeologists who manage and steward cultural resources within the Army’s installations, such as these petroglyphs. Carved in sandstone, the petroglyphs were first documented in 2016. In total, there are 26, with the majority being anthropomorphic stick figures. Notably, two large ones have fingers, which is uncommon to see. The largest is over 8 feet tall and nearly 8 feet wide. Other petroglyphs are designed in geometric or abstract shapes. The exact meanings of the petroglyphs are unknown but are sometimes interpreted. The petroglyphs include many anthropomorphic stick-figure carvings in sandstone. U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii “When I looked at the petroglyphs here, I seen a very significant petroglyph. That was with the one with the fingers going down. Or the one going up,” Native Hawaiian Glen Kila said in a 2017 interview with the U.S. Army. His family can trace its ancestry on this coastline to “the beginning of time and from the time of the first migration [of Polynesians to Hawaii].” Advertisement Article continues below this ad “My interpretation, just by looking at it was interpretation of Maui, the demigod, Maui,” Kila continued. Maui is a legendary figure in Hawaiian mythology known for his large size and strength. With his magic fishhook, he pulled the Hawaiian Islands out of the ocean in one story and snared the sun in another. “Because he played a role in our moolelos [stories] over here. And the reason why I say that because the way the fingers are from the east is like the rising sun to the setting sun. So it’s a religious symbol. Like what we have for Christianity, the cross or the other symbols.” The shoreline is publicly accessible, but parking at the Army’s recreation center requires military ID. As Wilkes pointed out, the petroglyphs will invariably be covered by the ocean and sand once more, until the next time they make another appearance.