Andrea Kaawaloa-Okita is a park ranger/visual information specialist from Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. A resident of the Puna district, one of the parks adjacent communities, her 'ohana (family) has generational ties to the park's land and sacred sites. In her current position, Andrea heads a interdisciplinary team whose goal is the implementation of four wayside panels at the sacred Pu'uloa Petroglyph site.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park embraces within its boundaries the spirit and the culture of the Native Hawaiian people. We act as stewards and caretakers of Hawaii 's wahi kapu (sacred sites), and wahi pana (special landscapes) like Kilauea , Halema‘uma‘u, and Pu`‘uloa—our primary petroglyph field.

As taught to us by our küpuna (ancestors), Kilauea is the home of Pelehonuamea (Pele), the earthly creator of all things volcanic. Aia la o Pele i Hawai ‘ i—Pele is at Hawai ‘ i . Regardless of birth place, the belief of Pele transcends Hawai‘i and lives in the hearts of all Hawaiians. Pu‘uloa (large hill), on the other hand, is a wahi kapu to a select group of native Hawaiians; those who were either raised or have direct lineage to the harsh volcanic lands of Puna and Ka‘u. For these ‘ohana (families), Pu‘uloa is more than just the large hill, it is the hill of long life—a place of tremendous mana (spiritual energy). These families are generationally tied to Pu‘uloa and for centuries have kept its stories alive.

Let the stories of these sacred sites and special landscapes live so that their legacies may forever continue. Protection of and for these sites requires one to care and feel compassion towards it which in-turn requires knowledge. Each person's perspective often depends on his/her knowledge of the site. One means of educating visitors to the cultural importance of a site is thru the use of interpretive media (waysides, trail guides, etc). When creating these products, we've learned that finesse, time, and sensitivity are required. By uniting the resource specialists with the cultural experts, the collective knowledge is portrayed, insuring the projects success.