Old Hawaiian Games

Hawaii is surrounded by the Pacific, which surfers enjoy.

The Hawaiians have enjoyed many sports and games on their islands. A few of these are worth noting either for their demonstration of bravery in sports or what the Hawaiian people valued in their games. In addition to surfing, a prominent pastime on the islands even today, they also enjoyed sledding, cockfighting and even an unusual form of javelin.

Surfing

Surfing is still a popular form of recreation in Hawaii and is the main result of its ancient participation in water games. "Surfing was called he'e nalu and was a true Hawaiian sport. Many people often body surfed, and in the old days, it was mostly the ali'i, or chiefs, that used surfboards. The Hawaiians were the only Pacific Islanders to stand up on their surfboards," according to the Thinkquest Education Foundation. Surfing is a very common practice in Hawaii largely due to the great waves that the Pacific Ocean provides for the state's inhabitants and visitors.

Cockfighting

Chickens were raised to be fierce competitors, and Hawaiians took pride in having theirs become the strongest fighter. Haka moa was their word for cockfighting, and for the event the people would place bets on which chicken would win. The spectacle proved so popular that the Hawaiians preferred to save chickens for their fights, as opposed to eating them.

Javelin

Pahe'e was the Hawaiian word for javelin, another game they participated in. Unlike regular javelin, which focuses on distance throwing, men would stand opposite each other and throw the spears, each side bravely catching them or evading them. They would then throw the javelins at the other players on the opposite side. Sometimes they could not catch them but were sure to dodge them to evade harm. Of course this took courage because there were no safety guarantees. They would even allow multiple javelins to be thrown and all would have to be caught and returned or evaded for success.

Sledding

While it is not often a sport people think of when considering the Hawaiian Islands, sledding, which they called holua, was also a popular activity. In place of snow, they used dirt, grass and rocks. Wooden sleds were used to go down the handmade slopes. The Hawaiian people were sure to make full use of the state's indigenous materials for a sport mostly popular in much colder climates.

References

• Coffee Times: Hawaiian Recreation
• Thinkquest Education Foundation: A Brief History of Hawaiian Games