2o6 



Foniandcr Collection of Hawaiian Folk-lore. 



laved till the close of the daw that land is dispossessed and the overseership discontin- 

 ued. Thus [the god] continues till the circuit of the island is complete. 



BATHING BY JUMPING. 



It is a high precijiice where a man jum])s from. If the man makes a skillful 

 lea]), touching the water toes first, it is called iouio. which means "without splash.""" 



KITE FLYING. 



Kapa makes good material for the body of a Hying kite, with hau for its cross- 

 sticks. The kite is a fathom long and four and a half feet in width. Twenty times 

 forty fathoms of cord are used, the tail being fifteen fathoms long-. To start it two men 

 are required to hold it, with a w^joden stake. When the kite flies it is lost sight of in the 

 sky and wet bv the mist;"" the frame is not so. If the cord breaks the kite droi)s into the 

 sea. 



SURF-RIUING. 



A long board is hewn from the zi'/V/rc'///'* wood, four fathoms long, some three, 

 and so on down to one fathom; the width is one yard. Here are the names of the 

 boards and the surfs : 



The board is alaia."'' three yards long. The surf is kakala. a curling wave, ter- 

 rible, death-dealing. 



The board is o/r>,"' six yards long. The surf is opiiii;''' a non-breaking wave, 

 something like calmness. 



If there is no surf, invoke seaward in the following manner : 



Arise, arise ye great surfs from Kaliiki. 

 The powerful curling waves. 

 Arise with the pohuehnc,^^ 

 Well up, long raging surf. 



When the surf rises and breaks lay the board on. The man has two places to slide 

 in the surf, the foam, which is within the curl, or the end, which is outside the curl. 



''The acme of skill in leaping into the water, with 

 Hawaiians, regardless of heielit, was to enter the water 

 feet first, with the least agitation of the water. The 

 Tahitians' enjoyment of the sport was the reverse, for 

 they delight to create the greatest splash, to accom- 

 plish which they double their feet under them in 

 jumping from a height, so as to plump into the water 

 with the greatest possible commotion. Diving headfirst 

 into the water is seldom if ever practiced by either race. 



'^The Hawaiian kite is six-sided in shape, the hori- 

 zontal stick of the frame crossing a little above the 

 middle, making the upper portion shorter than the 

 lower. Kiij^a kites of early days, wet by moisture in 

 the clouds, became ragged and torn. 



"While wiliunli may be the preferred wood for surf 

 boards, on account of its lightness. Icon and breadfruit 

 boards are also in commoii use. 



''Alaia is the name given to a small, thin, surf board. 



'"Olo was the large, thick, ivilki'm surf board. 



"'Opuu, the blind-breaker character of surf preva- 

 lent during calm periods. 



•'"Hawaiians had two methods of surf coaxing dur- 

 ing calm weather, the general method being for a 

 swimming party to take several strands of the sea-con- 

 volvulus vine, and swinging it around the head lash it 

 down unitedly upon the water until the desired undu- 

 lating waves were obtained, at the same time chanting 

 for a response to their effort. (Hazi.<aiiaii Annual, 

 1896.) Surf riding has a wider range of sport than 

 shown above, for canoe surfing is also very generally 

 practiced, and occasionally body surfing. This requires 

 strong, expert swimmers to attain sufficient momentum 

 to ride in on tlie surf without a board or otiier support. 

 This, termed kalia iialu, is still practiced. 



