Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 39, Number 9, 1 September 2022 — The Bird that Soars in the Heavenly Space [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]
The Bird that Soars in the Heavenly Space
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By Puanani Fernandez-Akamine "He 'ioau, 'a'ohe lala kau I am a hawk, there is no branch on whieh I cannot perch." 1n Hawaiian tradition, the Hawaiian hawk, or 'io, is symholie of royalty - as in this olelo no'eau where the 'io is a metaphor for an ali'i. In mo'olelo, 'io are often portrayed as teachers or judges and compared to the highest chiefs, and are considered by some to be a kinolau (body form) of the deity, Uli. The 'io is also an 'aumakua (family guardian, kupuna) to some Hawaiian families - including the Kamehamehas - so harming or killing them was strictly forbidden. 'Io as an 'Aumakua Keani Kaleimamahu, an olohe lua practitioner and teacher from Puna, said that his 'ohana claims lineage from the 'io, "My family goes to an 'io, a certain hawk, a certain name." He recalled an incident that occurred during the interment ceremony for a deceased relative. 'A red light eame down from the sky, a flash of light, and a fireball eame down exploding in ffont of us and we blew backwards," Kaleimamahu said. "I immediately knew that our kūpuna had eome and taken that person back to the ancestors because in Hawaiian beliefs we're able to kāku ai (transfigure) our beloved into the family lineage of our kūpuna." He said that the next morning, a young 'io appeared in a tree next to the window of the family home. It rested there for several days and has remained in the area, growing bigger and bigger. "I believe that that person had been kāku ai into this spiritual form of an 'io," Kaleimamahu said. Kohala native and Grammy Award winning kī hō'alu (slack-key) guitarist and composer John Keawe also shares a spiritual connection with the 'io. "Growing up I never knew about 'aumakua. My grandfather was pure Hawaiian but I never met him," said Keawe. "I was on my knees in our vegetable garden one day here at Hala'ula and I see [a] shadow next to me. I looked up and saw this 'io with a huge wingspan about 30 feet above me. We made eye contact for about 20 seconds and I got ehieken skin. From that time, I've felt connected to the 'io. "I don't know if I adopted him as my 'aumakua or he adopted me. But ever since, I always see him and I feel a sense of peaee. This bird is royalty. They are so powerful. This 'io survives by itself and you ean see the strength. So it gives me strength." Kalena Blakemore is a legacy land agent for the OfHce of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA). She is ff om Puna and her family's 'aumakua is the 'io. "'Kia'i ka 'io i kāna mau pua' is a metaphor I conceived regarding my relationship to the 'io," said Blakemore. "It means the 'hawk guards and protects their children.' "The 'io is my 'aumakua and often appears when I'm at a crossroad and needing direction, guidance or simple eonfirmation that I'm on the right track. The presence of 'io represents my ancestors watching over me. Wao Kele o Puna is home to our 'io, and my ancestors. I am blessed to care for that aina." Retired state judge William "Yama" Chillingworth, moved to Kohala in 2005 to research the Hawaiian side of his family and found himself spending lot of his time at Pololū Valley and engaging more and more with 'io who live in the valley.
Before beginning his quest he did not think about the 'io as an 'aumakua. "I was just looking for a connection with my mother's family. The 'io eame to me and gave me instructions about what I was supposed to be doing," said Chillingworth. "Of course I feel the 'io is an 'aumakua." He eventually learned his 'ohana were from the Hāmākua coast, southeast of Laupāhoehoe, and that they were feather workers. This made sense, as one of the ancestral names he knew of was Manuhoa (ffiend of the birds). The other name he knew was Kanehoalani, a chiefly name. This led him to publish of a book of photography called 'Io Lani the Hawaiian Hawk. Most days, Chillingworth is at Pololū Valley with his camera. "1hey ['io] like that habitat, lots of tall trees and drinking water. I see them every day. And occasionally I eall to them. And occasionally they eall back to me." An Fmlemif Niitivo Hawaiian Rird
'lo ronge over 60% of Howoi'i lslond in o voriety of hobitots from seo leve to elevotions of up to 8,900 feet. However, they prefer to nest in notive 'ōhi'o lehuo forests. īhese mognificent hunters like toll trees upon whieh they eon perch ond survey the surrounding oreo for prey. - Photo: Bret Nainoa M ossman The elegant and majestic 'io are endemic to Hawai'i - meaning they are found nowhere else in the world - and they were here long before our ancestors arrived. Although fossil records suggest that, in the past, 'io were present elsewhere in the pae aina, and from time to time they are spotted on other islands, Hawai'i Island is their home and the only plaee that they breed. In 1967, the 'io was placed on the federal endangered and threatened species list. However, their population has since stabilized with an estimated population of about 2,500-3,000 birds so in 2020 they were removed from the federal endangered species list. The State of Hawai'i still considers them a threatened species. In ideal conditions, 'io ean live to be up to 30-years-old, although their average life expectancy is about 17 years. They are territorial and will fiercely protect their nesting and hunting areas. 'Io mate for life and begin breeding at 3 or 4 years old. Their nesting season begins in the spring and by July all 'io chicks have hatched. 'Io are excellent and dedicated parents. Females lay one or two eggs per season and both parents share in the kuleana of building the nests and incubating the eggs (whieh takes about 38 days). Onee they hatch, the fathers hunt to feed the babies while the mothers remain in the nests to protect them. Youngsters live with their parents for about a year. During their lifetimes, 'io go through several color
phases that are not tied to age or gender. Their color ranges from a very light, almost blonde color to a very dark color. Our kūpuna described these phases as 'io mea, 'io 'ehu and 'io uli. 'Io uli (dark hawk) was likely the most venerated - whieh is consistent with the highly preferred Hawaiian ceremonial offerings of pua'a hiwa (hlaek pig), niu hiwa (dark coconut) and 'awa hiwa (dark-skinned 'awa). However, respected Hawaiian scholar Mary Kawena Puku'i referred to 'io mea as the "sacred one." 'Io are raptors (birds of prey). The only other type of raptor in Hawai'i is the pueo (owl). Prior to the arrival of our Polynesian ancestors, 'io preyed exclusively on other bird species and insects. However, a characteristic of the 'io is its adaptability as a hunter - one reason it has been able to survive despite the encroachment of human beings on its habitat - and so its prey has expanded to include rats, miee, mongoose and non-native bird species. They are found from sea level to elevations of up to 8,900 feet and thus 'io hunt and nest in a wide variety of habitats, although they prefer native ohi'a lehua forests. This is likely due to the ohi'a's strong branches, dense foliage and height as they prefer to perch and nest in tall trees. They will also nest in non-native trees like eucalyptus, but have higher reproductive success when they nest in ohi'a lehua trees. Fortunately, 'io seem to be relatively resistant to the diseases (e.g., avian malaria and avian pox virus) that have devastated other native bird species here in Hawai'i. Indeed, the greatest threat to the adaptable and resilient 'io are human beings. With just a few protected habitats on Hawai'i Island such as the Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge, the Nature Conservancy's Kona Hema Preserve, and OHA's Wao Kele o Puna Forest Reserve - and the steady encroachment of human development on its natural habitat - 'io are increasingly victims of their proximity to human beings. 'Io have been hit by cars, injured by powerlines, attacked by cats and dogs, and inadvertently poisoned when people use rodenticides to control rats and miee on their property - but the most prevalent, and preventable, is the malicious shooting of these native birds to stop them from preying on domestic chickens. Rescuing anel Rehabilitating 'Io Harmed by Humans "'Io are coming to our hospital mainly for human impact reasons, and those, unfortunately, include being shot," said Hawai'i Wildlife Center President and Director Linda Elliott. "We have a patient in care now who has a wing fracture from a gunshot. Those are really painful and not always successfully treated. We transferred two of our patients, also victims of gunshots, to the Honolulu Zoo because they are not going to be able to live in the wild with their injuries. Elliott has a degree in wildlife biology, more than 15 years of experience as a wildlife rehabilitator, and more than 20 years as an educator, supervisor and emergency response manager. She founded the Hawai'i Wildlife Center in 2012 with a mission to protect, conserve and aid in the recovery of Hawai'i's native winged wildlife. Over the past decade, the center has treated more than 2,000 sick and injured native Hawaiian birds and bats at their main facility in Kapa'au and at their satellite operations on O'ahu and Lāna'i. The most famous resident of the center is an 'io named SEE THE BIRD THAT S0ARS 0N PAGE 18
'lo mote for life and begin breeding when they ore 3 or 4 yeors old. Nesting seoson is in the spring ond femoles loy one or two eggs per seoson. 'lo ore excellent porents who shore in the kuleono of building their nests ond incuboting their eggs. Onee their bobies hotch, the fothers hunt to feed the nestlinas ond the mothers nrotect them. Youna 'io remain with their norents for obout o veor. - Photos: Bret Nainoa Mossman
Throughout their lifetimes, 'io go through color phoses unreloted to their oge or gender. Their color eon ronge from o very light, olmost blonde hue, to o very dork brownish-block color. In Howoiion the color phases of the 'io were colled 'io meo, 'io 'ehu ond 'io uli. Howoiion scholor Mory Koweno Puku'i referred to 'io meo os the "socred one." - Photos: William "Yama" Chillingworth
Thc Bird that Soars Continued from page 17
Maka'io who was brought there when he was just one or two years old. "He had an impact injury to the right side of his body that affected his wing and his eyesight. He recovered fairly well ffom the wing iniiirv V»nf lnQf hiie ciorVit nn eiHp " F.llintt QaiH
Mūkū'io the Howoiion howk is the most famous resident of the HūWūi'i Wildlife Center in Kapo'ou. An impoct injury left him blind in one eye so he eon no longer live in the wild. lnsteod, he hos heeome on ombossodor for his species. - Photo: Joshua Koh Maka'io's injuries no longer cause him discomfort. However, because he is blind in one eye he cannot hunt or survive in the wild. So he has been cleared by state and federal wildlife agencies to be an ambassador for his species, representing 'io with the center's students and visitors. "He's being trained to ride on a glove to allow him to be seen up close, comfortably and respectfully," said Elliott. "We're excited that he's going to be able to help us teach people how wonderful 'io are." Elliott herself has raised several orphaned 'io brought to the center as nestlings and over the years she has learned a lot about the species. "'Io are interesting," she said. "Hikers have reported resting under trees only to look up and see an 'io perched above them quietly watching and observing. They ean be very still and patient about hunting. They sit, watch and wait for the opportune time to pounee on their prey - they don't like to waste a lot of energy, so they're wise in that respect." She also noted that while they are skillful hunters they are also kolohe (mischievous) and have individual and distinctive personalities. "1hey ean be very goofy when they're learning [to hunt]. You'll see them try and catch grasshoppers, 'a'ama crabs - just anything that moves - to practice their skills." As adults, 'io are graceful and elegant in flight. "They have quite a breeding dance; very acrobatic, very beautiful," said Elliott. "There is nothing in Hawai'i that fills that area of the sky. Watching them surf on the winds on windy days is just incredibly beautiful."