Makaʻala ke kanaka kāhea manu.

A man who calls birds should always be alert.

One who wishes to succeed should be alert to every opportunity, like one who catches birds by imitating their cries.

— ʻŌlelo Noʻeau #2087

The kia manu were highly skilled Hawaiian bird catchers who played a crucial role in Hawaiian society. They used specialized tools and techniques to catch birds, primarily for their feathers which were used to create spectacular featherwork like ‘ahu’ula (cloaks) and mahiole (helmets) for the ali’i (chiefs). Their main tool was the kia (pole) hung high in the forest canopy, with sticky paste made from the pāpala kēpau tree or ʻulu (breadfruit) sap at its tips, along with decoys or bait to attract the birds.

Their work required deep knowledge of the forest and birds, as well as great patience and spiritual preparation. They would often spend many days deep in the wao akua (realm of the gods), staying in caves or temporary shelters while hunting. They had strict protocols about how to catch birds – for valuable feather birds like the ‘ō’ō and mamo, they would carefully take only a few feathers before releasing them unharmed. This practice allowed them to return to the same areas season after season.

There were three main types of bird catchers – hāhai manu, kia manu, and lawai’a manu – each with different specialized techniques. Some used nets (upena) stretched across the forest like fishermen, while others set snares (pahele) on the ground for birds like nēnē and kōlea. The practice required not just technical skill but also cultural and spiritual knowledge, as they needed to understand and respect the relationship between the people, the birds, and the forest realm. Bird catching was so important that certain ahupua’a (land divisions) were specifically valued for their bird resources, and conflicts sometimes arose between bird catchers of different districts over access to these precious resources.