Polynesian Seafaring
Around 1500 B.C., voyagers from the islands along the north shore of New Guinea began moving east along the Solomon Island chain, and then to the Banks and Vanuatu Archipelagos. As the gaps between islands grew from tens of miles at the edge of the western Pacific to hundreds of miles along the way to Polynesia, and then to thousands of miles in the case of voyages to the far corners of the Polynesian triangle, these oceanic colonizers developed great double-hulled canoes.
The two hulls gave this craft stability and the capacity to carry heavy loads of migrating families, their food supplies, livestock, and planting materials, while a central platform laid over the crossbeams provided the needed working, living, and storage space. Sails made of matting drove it swiftly through the seas, and long steering paddles enabled Polynesian mariners to keep it sailing on course.
As the voyages became longer, they developed a highly sophisticated navigation system based on observations of the stars, the ocean swells, the flight patterns of birds and other natural signs to find their way over the open ocean. And, as they moved farther away from the biotic centers of Southeast Asia and New Guinea, finding the flora and fauna increasingly diminished, they developed a portable agricultural system, whereby the domesticated plants and animals were carried in their canoes for transplantation on the islands they found.
Once they had reached the mid-ocean archipelagos of Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa, these seafarers were alone in the ocean, for only they had the canoes and navigational skills needed to push so far into the Pacific. The gaps between islands widen greatly in the eastern Pacific and the prevailing winds become less and less favorable for sailing to the east. Nonetheless, the archaeological evidence indicates that they sailed eastward to the Cook, Society, and Marquesas Groups, and from there crossed thousands of miles of open ocean to colonize the islands of Hawai’i in the north, Easter Island in the southeast, and New Zealand in the southwest.
Hawaiian History and Lo‘ihi Seamount
Loʻihi Seamount is an active undersea volcano located about 22 miles off the southeast coast of the Big Island of Hawaiʻi. Volcanoes in the Hawaiian Islands arise from the Hawaiʻi hotspot, and Loʻihi is the newest volcano in the Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain that stretches over 3,600 miles northwest.
Loʻihi began forming around 400,000 years ago and is expected to begin emerging above sea level about 10,000 to100,000 years from now. It rises more than 10,000 ft from the ocean floor, but its peak is still 3,199 ft below the ocean surface. The name Lo’ihi means “long” in Hawaiian to describe the elongate shape of the seamount.
When scientists investigated a series of earthquakes off Hawaiʻi in 1970, they discovered that Loʻihi was an active member of the Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain following the pattern of development that is characteristic of all Hawaiʻian volcanoes. In the summer of 1996, a swarm of 4,070 earthquakes was altering 4 to 5 sq mi of the seamount’s summit. One section, Pele’s Vents, collapsed entirely upon itself and formed the renamed Pele’s Pit. The new crater is about 2000 feet in diameter and its bottom is 1500 feet below the previous surface. Exploration in the manned submersible Pisces V revealed hydrothermal vents with temperatures up to 390F degrees.
Kauai History and Preparing Kapa
Kapa is a fabric that was made by native Hawaiians from the bast fibres of certain species of trees. It is similar to tapa found elsewhere in Polynesia but differs in the methods used in its creation. Kapa was used primarily for clothing, while other uses depended on a person’s place in ancient Hawaiian society. Kapa moe (bed covers) were reserved for the aliʻi or chiefly caste while kapa robes were used by kāhuna or priestly caste.
Families would grow their own wauke (paper mulberry) for their use. Tended by both men and women, wauke was grown around the lo`i (taro pond) and nurtured to grow straight and tall. The optimal trees for making fine kapa were from eight to twelve feet tall, and harvested when they are about one to two inches in diameter before they were two years old. As the wauke tree grew, planters cut off the side branches, so a straight trunk stalk without branch holes could later be stripped. Two of the varieties grown in Hawaii that make good kapa are called Laumana or Manalima. Laumana has a straighter growing habit that requires less attention while the Poa’aha tends to produce more branches.
After the trees were harvested, the non-fibrous outer bark (‘ili lepo o waho) was stripped within a few days otherwise it was difficult to remove. Traditionally Hawaiians used various shell implements to scrap away the layers of outer bark which consists of the rough brown bark, a layer of dark green, and pale green beneath. The inner bast fibers (‘i‘o o loko) were then soaked in running water, such as a high tide pool to break down the woody fibers and wash away the starch. More soakings and fermentation followed, resulting in a felted, matted, seamless mass, but leaving the fibers still tough and resilient when finally removed from the waters. At this time in the process, the women of Hawaii would often twist cordage out of the fibers, for use as fish nets (upena) and as carrying nets (koko) from which to hang calabashes of wood and gourds.
Kauai History and Clothing
Hawaiian requirements for shelter and clothing were minimal due to their tropical climate. The first Polynesian canoe voyagers brought wauke plants (paper mulberry) with them to continue producing kapa. Kapa was a fabric made by native Hawaiians from the bast fibres of certain species of trees and shrubs like wauke, mamaki, oloa, `akala, or hau plant fibers. It was a time-consuming, labor-intensive process, but Hawaiian kapa (bark cloth) had many useful functions in everyday life in early Hawaii. As kapa in Hawaii evolved, its quality surpassed that of any other region displaying a wide variety of textures, weights, and designs.
The basic garments were a malo (loincloth) for men, a pa`u (skirt) for women and a kihei (rectangular shawl) for both. All were made of kapa. Hawaiians used a number of unique techniques including producing watermarks with patterned beaters, printing designs with bamboo stamps, achieving the colors green and blue with vegetable dyes, and beating perfumed flora into the cloth to impart a fragrance. At least 68 individual types of kapa were produced, each with a specific name. Kapa was used for many things other than clothing, including bedding or sheet material and as banners or as wrapping material. Kapa, the fine and softly-rendered bark cloth of ancient Hawai‘i, was an integral part of every important phase of one’s life – from birth and marriage and death. Kapa enfolded newborns, united two souls beneath a single marriage kapa, and protected the remains of departed loved ones.
Other garments included ti leaf capes which provided protection against cold or rain. Ali`i wore feather capes, cloaks, helmets and lei as signs of rank and status. Made from the feathers of hundreds or thousands of birds attached to a mesh backing, feather garments used striking geometric patterns, most often in yellow and red. Since only a few feathers were taken from each bird caught, which was then released, gathering the feathers for one cape could take decades or even generations.
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.
Kauai History and Surfing
Ancient Hawaiian people did not consider surfing a mere recreational activity, but rather they integrated surfing into their culture and made it an art. They referred to this art as heʻe nalu or wave sliding. The art began before entering the mysterious ocean as the Hawaiians prayed to the gods for protection and strength to undertake the powerful mystifying ocean. The technique of sliding on a wave was popular with men and women of all ages in early Hawaii. Then (same as now) surfers found it hard to resist dropping everything when the waves called. Their excitement peaked in the winter months when big surf came to the Islands and they even had an appropriate word that referred to a state of being stoked, or emotionally excited about something – hopupu.
Early Hawaiians used four main types of boards:
paipo or kioe – 2 to 4 feet (for children)
alaia or omo – 8 to 10 feet
kiko`o – 12 to 18 feet
olo – 18 to 24 feet (for royalty)
Surfboards used by ancient Hawaiians measured five inches thick, and weighed up to 160 pounds. The most common wood used was koa or wiliwili which was particularly buoyant. The extremely long olo was thick in the middle, thinner towards its edges, buoyant, and good for catching large rounded swells. The olo board allowed the rider to catch a cresting wave before it actually broke and the ride could continue long after the wave flattened out. Though these boards couldn’t turn quickly and required stamina and strength to paddle out, the very long rides they afforded are why they may have been reserved for ali`i. Alaia boards were approximately eight feet long, wide at the nose and tapered toward the stern. Alaia were good for skilled surfers riding rough waves. More maneuverable than olo, they were better for steep, fast-breaking surf and wave conditions along rugged coasts. When the surf was up, they would ride the waves on anything handy, even banana trunks. Hawaiians surfed in canoes as well as on boards, using twenty foot long single canoes with an oversized, heavy paddle for steering.
