Submitted by Danielle Conti on the 2020 winter session study abroad program in Hawaii sponsored by College of Education and Human Development…
This week, we flew to the Big Island of Hawaii and explored Hilo and Kona. Our first day, closer to Hilo, we hiked Volcanoes National Park which is home to one of the world’s most active volcanoes. On this hike, we learned a lot about the history and formation of the islands and we also learned how much the Hawaiian culture is centered around the volcanoes and the lava. The park ranger that gave us the guided tour told us about how many, many years ago, and still today, Hawaiians would travel hundreds of miles to the volcano to create what is know as a Petroglyph. These were a symbol of the family’s unity and genealogy. Families would brine the umbilical cord of their newborn child and carve these Petroglyphs into the lava to represent the genealogy of that family. Families would come back and add onto these as the family grew larger. Volcanoes National Park is home to one of the largest Petroglyph fields in all of Hawaii and is considered to be a very sacred land. It was a very cool experience to go to this park, both to see the beauty of the volcano and the lava as well as the amount of culture and life that has come there before us.
