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Submitted 2011-10-09 19:03:10
The ancient Hawaiians called this sport he e nalu, or sliding on waves. In centuries past, surfing was more than a recreational sport. Special dances and rituals were intended to please the sea, so that the surfers would be rewarded with powerful waves. Certain types of surfboards were restricted to certain social classes, and disputes were often settled on the waves. The most skilled surfers became prestigious members of society.
When the European missionaries came around 1820, surfing and many other traditional Hawaiian practices were discouraged or outright prohibited. Surfing nearly died out, though a group of native Hawaiians revived surfing around 1910. This was followed by an immense growth in the popularity of the sport beginning in the 1950s.
Another interesting traditional sport of Hawaii is Holua sledding. Sometimes referred to as he e holua, or mountain surfing, this 2,000 year old sport is roughly equivalent to surfing on land. This sport is performed on a long narrow sled fitted with a runner. The course is a steep trench dug down a hillside. The dirt and rocks are smoothed and covered with dried grass. When ridden on lava flows, the sport of holua was not only a recreational activity, but also a way to honor Pele, the goddess of fire.
The point of the sport is to ride the sled down the hill as far as possible, which is very dangerous due to the high speeds and the sleds built just four inches from the ground. Similar to modern sports like bobsledding or skateboarding, it required a finely tuned sense of balance to avoid overturning. The best holua sledders could stay on their boards for up to a mile, reaching top speeds of 50 miles per hour or more.
Like surfing, the ancient sport of holua was discouraged by Christian missionaries. The last official holua racing event was held in 1825. Today, there are still a few ancient Holua courses visible on the Islands, and a small group of Holua sledders still practices this ancient sport in the hopes of reviving it, like surfing was revived a century ago.
In addition to riding the waves or the hills, the ancient Hawaiians also practiced several sports based on warrior skills. Wrestling, boxing, and javelin throwing were popular here, especially during a Makahiki celebration. Captain Cook recorded his experiences of a Hawaiian boxing tournament after his travels to the Islands. During a Hawaiian boxing match, contestants were not supposed to block the punches. Rather, they would continue to hit each other until one contestant either gave up or was knocked out.
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By: Rene Thompson
The ancient Hawaiians developed a very unique set of sports, most of which were only practiced in Polynesia. Among the ancient Hawaiian past times still practiced today is surfing, which of course is popular on beaches all over the globe. The sport of surfing is a large part of Hawaii s culture, though little is known of its early history. It is known that surfing has been practiced for at least five hundred years, and it is likely that the sport dates back much further than this.
The ancient Hawaiians called this sport he e nalu, or sliding on waves. In centuries past, surfing was more than a recreational sport. Special dances and rituals were intended to please the sea, so that the surfers would be rewarded with powerful waves. Certain types of surfboards were restricted to certain social classes, and disputes were often settled on the waves. The most skilled surfers became prestigious members of society.
When the European missionaries came around 1820, surfing and many other traditional Hawaiian practices were discouraged or outright prohibited. Surfing nearly died out, though a group of native Hawaiians revived surfing around 1910. This was followed by an immense growth in the popularity of the sport beginning in the 1950s.
Another interesting traditional sport of Hawaii is Holua sledding. Sometimes referred to as he e holua, or mountain surfing, this 2,000 year old sport is roughly equivalent to surfing on land. This sport is performed on a long narrow sled fitted with a runner. The course is a steep trench dug down a hillside. The dirt and rocks are smoothed and covered with dried grass. When ridden on lava flows, the sport of holua was not only a recreational activity, but also a way to honor Pele, the goddess of fire.
The point of the sport is to ride the sled down the hill as far as possible, which is very dangerous due to the high speeds and the sleds built just four inches from the ground. Similar to modern sports like bobsledding or skateboarding, it required a finely tuned sense of balance to avoid overturning. The best holua sledders could stay on their boards for up to a mile, reaching top speeds of 50 miles per hour or more.
Like surfing, the ancient sport of holua was discouraged by Christian missionaries. The last official holua racing event was held in 1825. Today, there are still a few ancient Holua courses visible on the Islands, and a small group of Holua sledders still practices this ancient sport in the hopes of reviving it, like surfing was revived a century ago.
In addition to riding the waves or the hills, the ancient Hawaiians also practiced several sports based on warrior skills. Wrestling, boxing, and javelin throwing were popular here, especially during a Makahiki celebration. Captain Cook recorded his experiences of a Hawaiian boxing tournament after his travels to the Islands. During a Hawaiian boxing match, contestants were not supposed to block the punches. Rather, they would continue to hit each other until one contestant either gave up or was knocked out.
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