Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 40, Number 1, 1 January 2023 — Welina, Kōlea [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Welina, Kōlea

By Lisa Kapono Mason Kōlea - Pacific Golden Plover (Pluvialis fulva)

A spring mole kōleo georing up for his three-doy return flight north for the breeding seoson. - Photos: Ann īanimoto Johnson/ LOHE Lab In Hawaiian folklore, the migrant hero Kumukahi hailed from the distant lands of Kahiki to the easternmost reaches of Puna. A relative of Pele and brother to Pālāmoa and Kahikina-a-kalā, Kumukahi performed supernatural acts of healing for any who brought their sick to him. He could possess a haka (medium) to manifest objects, kill at will, and magically shape-shift from a human into a handsome kōlea bird. Kōlea is also symbolized in the story of Kōleamoku, a man from ancient times who the gods empowered to be a great kahuna of medicine. Kōleamoku was eventually deified after death and is recognized as an 'aumakua in none other than our friendly neighborhood visitor kōlea. These little powerhouses begin their non-stop journey from Alaska to Hawai'i in late July, with first-season juveniles arriving by mid-November. But make sure to say "a hui hou" to kōlea by April when they will depart again. ■

An adult kōlea cruising the shoreline alongside fellow shorebirds 'akekeke (Arenaria interpres) and hunakai (Calidris alba).

Lisa Kapono Mason was raised in Hilo and happily resides in Keaau on the Island ofHawai'i. She is a eommunity educator, conservation researcher, and native bird enthusiast with a passion to help strengthen relationships between our manu and lāhui.