Kauai History and Surfboard Shaping

Ancient Hawaiian surfboard making began with the tree. They would carefully select one of three types of trees to make early surfboards – wiliwili, ulu, or koa. Once a tree had been selected a craftsman would use a stone axe to dig a hole among the roots, and place a fish in the hole with a prayer as an offering to the gods in return for the tree he was about to shape into a board. The construction and shaping of the surfboard that followed this ritual was an exacting task that required the experienced craftsmanship of native “shapers”. There were three primary shapes for adults: olo (18 to 24 feet), kikoʻo (12 to 18 feet), and the alaia (8 to 10 feet).

The trunk was first chipped away with a stone axe and roughly shaped to the desired dimensions. It was then pulled down to the beach and placed in a halau (canoe house) for finishing work. Granulated coral called pohaku puna, and a rough kind of stone called oahi were used for smoothing the rough surfaces on the board getting rid of the adze marks. A finishing stain from the root of the TI plant (mole ki), or the pounded bark of the kukui (hili) was used to give the board a dark lustre. Stains were also obtained from the soot of burned kukui nuts, charcoal from burnt pandanus leaves, or the juices from young banana buds. To complete the process, a dressing of Kukui nut oil was applied when the stain was dry, and the black, glossy board was ready for surfing.

Aside from the preparatory stages, the most skilled surfers were often of the upper class including chiefs and warriors that surfed among the best waves on the island. If the ocean was calm, they would call upon the kahuna (priest) to aid them in a surfing prayer asking the gods to deliver great surf. These upper class Hawaiians gained respect through their enduring ability to master the waves in this art the Hawaiians referred to as heʻe nalu or wave sliding.