David Shepard Hawaii

I drew this print to specifically represent Honolulu, Diamond Head, and the south shore of O‘ahu: Manu-o-Kū & Flowering Hau Tree
The artwork is now on display

THE STORY BEHIND THE HAND-DRAWN DESIGN

A past Hawai’i echoes with visions of a future one. Manu-o-kū birds soar, nest, and fish amongst the coastal flowering Hawaiian hau trees. The hau flowers last only a single day each, going from yellow at dawn to orange and red as the day ends.

The manu-o-kū, also known as the white tern, holds deep cultural and ecological significance to Hawai’i. When seen out at sea, these graceful birds are natural indicators to seafarers that land is near. Like fishermen, they go out to sea in the mornings to fish and return to shore in the evenings.

Once rare in Hawai’i, except in the remote northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Their comeback since the 1970s in urban Honolulu is a testament to dedicated community conservation efforts while echoing the timeline of the Hawaiian cultural renaissance. Honolulu has implemented measures to protect the trees where they are actively nesting from disturbance, marking them with a blue ribbon around the trunks.

-David Shepard

Epic people promote and protect our wild spaces. Shout out to and all the volunteers and naturalists who continuously support the largest nesting colony of layson albatross in the world. 15% of proceeds from this print support their mission. Thanks to all of you who have ordered and share the conservation message. We hope to spread the love for these magnificent birds that are now back to nest across the Hawaiian islands. Albatross season is here as surely as the Makahiki season!

- David Shepard

**Don't forget to make orders you want for Christmas by tomorrow, Dec 15th!

Part of why I love what I do is the ability to get out there and be involved in the conservation and preservation of our ‘āina. There is always so much to learn, and each experience is truly fulfilling. Here’s a few photos from projects in the past that I enjoyed being a part of. In Kalaupapa on Moloka‘i, we collected seeds from the endangered Kolomona (Senna gaudichaudii) for regeneration efforts. Some of the others were taken at Limahuli Gardens with Kupu interns on a restoration site. What’s an added bonus is running into all these amazing native plants along the way!

Hāpu’u (Cibotium spp) are a majestic ferns endemic to Hawai‘i. They were once plentiful especially in Mānoa Valley, but experienced a major decrease in population due to the harvesting and exploitation of their “pulu” or thick yellow/golden fibers that cover its stems that were used to stuff pillows and mattresses. They are very slow growing, but there are many older ones that still exist reaching very tall heights. They thrive in mesic to wet forests. Hawaiians of the old days actually ate the fiddles (new growth) of these ferns. They were also used to embalm bodies. Our Hāpu’u ‘Ilima print symbolizes the range of resources found Mauka (Hāpu’u )to Makai (‘Ilima.) From the mountains to the sea. Shop our Aloha Shirts, Women’s dresses, Masks, Scarves, and Pareo in this print online or in our retail locations!