Description
About The Artwork ~ Daniel’s Story
“‘Pueo in ʻĪao Valley’ was inspired by my attempt to bring more awareness to Hawaii’s pueo (owl) here on the islands. Pueo hold a sacred place as ‘aumakua (ancestor god) for Hawaiian and other indigenous peoples around the world. The valley of ‘Īao holds sacred knowledge, history, and beauty. Being one of my favorite places to go to when in search of answers from within and needing to be in a quiet place near the rivers for some solitude. In the drawing, you can see the needle of ‘Īao in the background and in the foreground, all of its many rocks and plant life.
“There are two species of owl on the Hawaiian Islands. One native and one non-native. The native pueo frequents lowlands which make them vulnerable to other non-native species such as mongoose, cats, and dogs. The pueo also only comes out in the day while the non-native barn owl comes out at dusk. Pueo are much more rare to see in Oahu for its growing movement to modern civilization and city life. There have only been two sightings in the last 10 years of the native pueo in Oahu; meanwhile there are weekly sightings of the non-native barn owl.
“The barn owl is slightly larger with lighter colored feathers whereas the pueo is smaller and darker and has what looks like a black mask around its eyes. Barn owls were brought to Hawaii in the 1950s to control rodents. They are so common that if you see an owl in Hawaii, it is most likely a barn owl. There are many attempts to aid in the survival of this short-eared owl by removing invasive species of plants and continuing to set up traps for non-native predators such as mongoose, cats, and rodents.”
