Our Kaka’ako was excited to hold a fun and educational community art project featuring the manuokū bird on May 29 and 30! The manuokū, otherwise known as the white tern, is Honolulu’s official bird and a frequent visitor of the Kaka‘ako region. The event raised awareness of this beautiful indigenous seabird and the importance of protecting this threatened species.
Participants from the neighborhood and wider community joined us at Kaloko‘eli Courtyard at The Flats at Pu‘unui and crafted white paper birds using scissors, glue and pencils. Some wrote inspiring messages on their birds, while others dedicated them to someone special in their life. The majority of the participants were families with small keiki, who also had fun making manuokū bird finger puppets at the activity tent to take home. Bird outline art was also available online for those who preferred to make the birds at home.
In addition, during the event, Susan Scott, marine biologist and author of “Hawai‘i’s White Tern, Manu-o-Kū, an Urban Seabird,” did a talk story session where she shared her expert knowledge about the bird’s characteristics, its significance to Hawai‘i and the Hawaiian culture, and ways to protect them.
Mahalo to Kaiāulu ʻo Kakaʻako Owners Association for co-sponsoring the event and to Susan Scott for sharing her mana‘o. Lastly, thank you to all the amazing artists who spent their weekend with us and created this beautiful community art project together. Keep an eye out for future events by signing up for notifications. See you next time!
