LK's Artwork: Pacific Golden Plover and Volcano (and the story of The Plover and the Whale)

LK's teacher gave him a picture to color today.  I thought I would share it in the blog.  In my opinion, the best part is the volcano that he added in all by himself on the right side.

The Pacific Golden Plover, called Kolea in Hawaiian, is a visitor to the island.  What makes this visitor most distinct is that he is associated with the end of Summer.  When school children see him running in the fields near their schools, they know that it's back to school time.

A male Kolea (Pacific Golden Plover)

Kolea were a seasonal food source for native Hawaiians, long before the arrival of Europeans.  Hawaiians tied grubs to stones, and when the bird swallowed the stone it choked to death.  Some of these "Plover stones" as they are called can be seen in the Bishop Museum in Honolulu. 

Kolea are also an integral part of Hawaiian lore, subject of stories and song.  One story I read was entitled "The Plover and the Whale".  Both are migrants to the island, and in the story they argue about whether there are more plovers or whales in the world.  They begin by calling all whales and plovers to prove their respective points.  Then they go overboard, calling every sea animal and every bird.  Things get out of hand with the fish trying to kill off the birds by eating the land and the birds trying to kill off the fish by drinking the water.  Turns out the birds are more successful, but when they see the fish wriggling and writhing they get worried.  If all the fish die, what will they have to eat.  So they spit out the water, and as the story says "things returned to the way the were".  Life has gone full circle, but not without a lesson learned.  The animals now live together with respect and understand.  It ends by stating, "and they still did not know what there were more of, plovers or whales".