Introducing Keoki and Manu Uyehara
By Karen Welsh
If a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, then a bird on top the head is worth asking a few probing questions.
The strong urge to talk story came after spotting 63-year-old Keoki Uyehara recently walking around a Hilo craft fair with his beloved "Manu" a yellow parrot of distinguished feathers upon his shoulders.
It was a serendipitous morning. A "coo" so to speak, as I had once seen Keoki driving in his truck with Manu sitting on a perch attached to the front window mirror. I tried to chase him down, but to no avail.
Then, to find Keoki again, talking incessantly to his inseparable pet amidst a crowd of people, was a wonderful moment indeed.
Turns out Keoki has always been a birdman at heart. He grew up in Kaneohe on Oahu, leaving as a young man to live and work in the Fremont, California area more than 40 years ago. Each day at the plant where he worked trans-loading chemicals in Newark, Keoki would go out and feed the pidgeons during his lunch break.
Then, one day several years ago, Keoki noticed a beautiful yellow parrot flying with the pidgins.He became concerned that the little bird would be eaten by other birds so Keoki came up with a bird-brained idea and immediately set out to capture and rescue the hapless creature.
Unfortunately, the little scrapper of a bird wasn't so helpless and he wasn't about to give up living in the wild so easily.
"He fought me good," Keoki said of his feathered friend. "There was blood all over. He pecked and scratched but I didn't give up. I finally caught him after three hours and took him home."
It wasn't long before the newly named "Manu," meaning bird in the Hawaiian language, became tame. And spoiled.
Even the family cat had to adjust and the two became fast friends, often playing with one another.
The bond between man and bird became so strong that they had to be together all the time.
And with his own variation of Dr. Doolittle, Keoki began talking to this animal. A lot.
"He kinda knows a little of what I'm talking about," the human counterpart said. "He no dumb. He understands."
As if on cue, Manu let out a series of chirps as if to confirm his love for the master.
It's clear both man and bird enjoy the attention of those around them. Children point and giggle. Adults ask to pet or hold the beautiful sunshine squawker. They also take the time to respond and share their natural aloha spirit.
"Everywhere we go people always say 'how is the bird?,'" Keoki said. "They can see we are both happy and we like to make others happy."
When Keoki retired from his job and moved to the Big Island last December there was no question he would bring his fine feathered friend. The used the new easy quarantine offered in the islands, flew over--both on the airplane, of course--and settled in Paradise Park.
Both have adjusted well to life in the islands.
"After 40 years it's good to see all da local faces," Keoki said in his boyhood tongue. "I missed da aloha. I missed da people. The people ova hea are kinda mo' friendly."
Birds of a feather really do stick together. So to both of you I say--'Welcome Manu. Now your flying with a whole new set of pidgins...who speak our own da kine English dat is. Welcome back Uncle. Aloha nui loa throughout your days of living in East Hawaii.'