The First European Visit to the islands of Hawaii
The first ever European visit to
the islands of Hawaii was in 1778, lead by Captain James Cook with his crew on
their third expedition to the Pacific. Cook made a stop at the Big Island ofHawaii which led him to be killed by Hawaiians after he made a careless attempt to
kidnap their high chief. Captain James Cook is known today as the famous European Explorer who discovered the islands of Hawaii.
After his death, his
leadership was replaced by First Lieutenant James King who was given the responsibility
to complete the narrative portions of his journals. Lt. King devoted his life to the
expedition which led him to witness the first people who engaged in surfing. In
his journal, he described in full detail how these people (Hawaiians) consider
surfing as an integral part of their tradition, religion and myths of the
islands. And this became the first written account on surfing.
In two full pages of his journal,
he described surf riding as practiced by the people at
Kealakekua Bay on the Kona coast of the Big Island. He described it as
the “Sport of Kings”, an ancient Hawaiian tradition that involves lying down or
standing on long, hardwood surfboards and riding on big waves in the ocean with
an amazing velocity.
In
1779, Surfing wasn’t just a sport or a mere recreational activity to Hawaiians;
it is more of an art which is deeply rooted in their tradition. Hawaiians call it he’e
nalu which means wave sliding. Mastery of the skills made common people
in Hawaii famous with the way they handle themselves in the ocean. Several chiefs
of the Big Island are highly regarded for their surfing abilities. During these
times, the chiefs or ali’i have designated reefs and beach where they surfed. On
the other hand, there were also reefs and beaches where commoners can surf. Commoners generally rode the ocean waves on surfboards
that reach 12 feet high, while the ali’I rode them on boards that were as long
as 24 feet.
When
Captain Cook reached Hawaii, surfing was already deeply rooted in the Hawaiian tradition
and legends. There were places named after legendary surfing incidents, there were
special chants made by the master surfers (“kahuna”) to baptize new surfboards,
and to encourage men and women who challenged the big ocean waves. There were
also legendary stories told about the lives risked, heroic ocean deeds by
chiefs and commoners, love pairs made and broken because of surfing.
Surfing: Brought by Polynesians to Hawaii
Along
with the earliest recorded account on surfing, several archaeological evidences
were found suggesting that surfing was first practiced by Polynesians before it
became a part of the Hawaiians’ culture, thus, they brought the art of surfing
to the Islands of Hawaii. Although archaeologists do not have the exact
timeline on Polynesian’s migration to Hawaii, it was believed to happen around
the Fourth Century A.D. According to archaeologists, Polynesians were
forced to migrate into the Big Island due to a boost in population and the hope
of finding a better place for survival. They made the risky journey from the coasts
of Tahiti and Marquesas to Hawaii by riding on their paipo(surf) boards. The
velocity of big ocean waves and their deep love and knowledge of the ocean made
their journey successful. When Polynesians arrived in Hawaii, they also brought
their customs along with them, including the practice of surfing. It was believed
that the art/skill of surfing upright was brought by Polynesians but perfected
in Hawaii. Since then, surfing has become an integral part of the Hawaiians’
culture.
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