Submitted by Madelyn Setting on the 2020 winter session study abroad program in Hawaii sponsored by College of Education and Human Development…
During my fourth week in Hawaii, we flew to the Big Island to Hilo where we journeyed to the Volcanoes National Park. We explored the park and went on multiple trails, saw the crater, went through an art gallery, and even had the incredible opportunity to hike on volcanic rock where petroglyphs were carved into the layers to symbolize the life of native Hawaiians. I found this experience to be one in a lifetime, and it was moving to see just how many petroglyphs there were. Each circle symbolized a life, and often after the children were born, they would place the umbilical cord in the petroglyphs. The rich culture displayed there and explained by the tour guide is something I will never forget and is definitely a story to share.