🧚 The Sons of Kii · page 2

Then followed match after match, sometimes interspersed with boxing.114 In the boxing contests severe blows were given until one of the boxers was stricken senseless to the earth or an arm was broken.115 Sometimes both wrestling and boxing contests resulted in the death of a chief.116 At such times the chief’s retainers quietly carried away the body, while the shouts which greeted the victor filled the air.117 Such deaths were taken as incidental, and no wailing showed the grief of stricken friends.118

In this way the forenoon passed, and at last a few noble chiefs, exquisite in the beauty of perfect muscular manhood, stood before the king, chosen to be the special bodyguard of Ulu in the mysterious journey of the coming days.119 In the afternoon the followers of Nanaulu were tested and a like bodyguard selected for this young prince.120

During that night a heavy wind tossed the sea waves into foam, but as the morning broke the wind died away, leaving ideal surf waves rolling in from the far-off coral reef, through the harbour, up to the beach.121

A number of chiefs, taking long boards, thinned and smoothed by stone knives and polished with the rough skin of the shark, swam far out into the ocean.122 There where the surf waves began to form as the tide rolled landward each chief turned his surf board to follow the tidal pathway.123 Canoes were stationed at the point from which the older chiefs had decided that the swimmers must start.124 Groups of ten or fifteen contestants were allowed to start together.125 The rider with the swiftest and most skilfully managed surf board was chosen from each group.126 Hundreds of natives having any kind of claim to chief’s blood had presented themselves for this contest.127

Some of the surf-riders contented themselves by simply lying on the board, endeavouring by skilful use of hand and foot to hasten their passage on the crest of the huge surf waves.128 This was by no means an easy thing to do.129 Success consisted in gaining on the surf.130 Ordinarily many surf waves passed from beneath the surf-riders before they could complete the long distance over the sea.131 To hang to a wave, cling to its white mane, to have such mastery over it as not to be thrown back to the next wave, was a trial of strength and judgment, and might easily bring the sought-for reward.132 These, of course, were the first to reach the shore.133

Others pushed their boards rapidly through the first waves encountered.134 Then, balancing the board on the crest of the largest inrolling waves, leaped to their feet, and standing upright guided the board by the swaying of their bodies, adjusting themselves to the changing forces of the surf.135 Sometimes a very skilful surf-rider would go through the motions of fighting a battle—throwing the javelin, pushing with a spear, striking with a war-club or stabbing with a dagger.136 This was seldom attempted without an ignominious overthrow of board and rider as the undertow from the beach struggled with the incoming surf.137 Then the acrobat received the jeers of the people as he and his boat rolled under the foam.138 A successful completion of such a ride marked a high degree of combined courage and training and judgment.139 During the course of the entire test of the men of both Ulu and Nanaulu only two men perfectly performed this difficult task.140 These were the two young high chiefs Okela and Taunoa.141 The highest honours for surf-riding were, however, given by all to Vai-ta-piha, the inferior chief who had come to the contest with Taunoa.142

Soon after the group of riders in which he was placed started shoreward a squall broke over them.143 The surf ceased rolling for a few moments in continuous waves.144 The boards and their riders were thrown against and over one another.145 Then a large wave swept the confused and struggling company toward the beach.146 Vai-ta-piha easily extricated himself, and balanced upon his surf board was about to dash to land, but he saw in front of his board the body of an insensible chief roll from between two boards and begin to sink.147 In a second he leaped ahead of his board, caught the chief with one hand and with the other secured the surf-board floating by.148 He drew the chief and himself up until he rested upon the board.149 Leaping to his feet he held the body in his hands, balancing himself and guiding his frail craft until the wave was about to take its final plunge upon the sand, when he dropped off into the water and carried his burden to the massage or lomilomi women, who by skilful kneading of the body soon restored the injured chief to his friends.150 The unselfish rescue as well as the skill displayed in bringing the body to land, all in a few moments, won the approval of the judges.151

The fourth day the chiefs rested and the common people gave an exhibition of their attainments, and a sufficient number of canoe-makers, house-builders, fishermen and other helpers were easily secured.152 These were to be the oarsmen of the expedition.153

The fifth day brought a new order of contestants.154 Around Papeete Bay are some beautiful hills, with sloping, grassy sides.155 Here the chiefs gathered with sleds which were from six to twelve feet long.156 These were made by taking finely polished hardwood for runners, usually about twelve inches apart.157

Long sticks were placed lengthwise over these runners and fastened tightly to cross pieces.158 Frequently a board was tied between the sticks and a piece of matting laid upon it for the benefit of the rider.159 Holes were bored through these boards with sharp-pointed bones or shells, and they were strongly tied to the runners.160

The riders of shorter sleds would grasp the sticks along the edges, using them as handles, raise the sled and run along the brow of the hill, giving the sled a hard push down the declivity as they threw themselves flat on the narrow board.161 Sometimes this resulted in a mortifying overthrow of the rider at the first leap of the sled downward.162 The rider with the longer sled was content to push his sled rapidly a few feet and then dash down the hillside.163 The slides or paths for the sleds were so well worn that little ridges formed along the sides, sometimes keeping the sled in the path, and just as often catching a runner and causing an overthrow of the rider.164

The slides were frequently well covered with cut grass or leaves.165 Often the chiefs preferred the carefully kept, grass-covered, smooth hillside where but few marks of sleds appeared.166

This was an exciting and sometimes dangerous sport.167 Fearful velocities were sometimes attained.168 Sleds swerved against slight unevennesses almost imperceptible until struck by a runner on one side or the other.169 The sudden shock swept the sled out of its course against the sled or in the pathway of an opponent, and in a moment a confused mass of broken sleds and stunned riders would be dashed down the hillside.170 Many times a sled thus turned spilt its runner on one side.171 It was considered evidence of great skill when a rider instantaneously adjusted himself to a broken sled, kept it in its course and finally landed safely in the smooth plain below.172

Where the slopes were sufficiently gradual some of the chiefs chose the slower ride, but took it in a standing position, when the dangers would be intensified, a broken sled being accompanied by broken limbs or a broken neck.173

During the day messengers of the chiefs competed for a place in the expedition.174 The contest required the men to go around the mountain which formed the larger part of the Island of Tahiti, usually a two days’ journey, with allowance for a few hours’ rest along the way.175 The first and second runners to win in this race were to go as the messengers of Ulu and Nanaulu.176

The contests among the chiefs had resulted in the selection of a much larger number of chiefs than could possibly go with the two young princes.177 New trials of skill were instituted to sift out the least skilful or the most unlucky.178

The first test applied was that of javelin throwing.179 The high chiefs had prepared for their own sport a long, smooth path, beaten down until it was hard as a rock.180 Here they were accustomed to throw heavy hardwood darts, which, sliding along the path, would either pass between two marks at a given distance from the thrower or sometimes strike a small stick set upright at the end of a straight line drawn along the centre of the path.181 This was called the Pakee or the play with the darts or javelins.182

A second test was made along the same beaten track in the game called Ulu-maika.183 In this contest were used circular stones, flat-sided, of different sizes, according to the pleasure of the contestants.184 The smaller stones were about an inch thick and about six inches in circumference.185 The larger maika-stones were frequently two inches thick and a foot and a half in circumference.186 The ordinary stone used by most of the chiefs was an inch thick and about ten inches in circumference.187 These stones were smoothed and polished to a very high degree.188

Those who had stood the test of javelin-throwing were formed in line that each one might, without delay, step to the head of the track and roll his disc, pass on and permit another to take his place.189

This trial was, by virtue of a suggestion of Nanaulu, made a triple test.190 The stone was to be rolled more than the ordinary distance, made to pass between two upright sticks, then between two more posts, and then some distance beyond strike a mark set up in the centre of the track.191 Those accomplishing the entire feat would not be required to stand further trial in order to secure the coveted membership in the expedition.192 Those passing the posts should be entitled to another trial.193 It was not very difficult to roll the stone between the posts, but very few were able to keep the disc in the centre of the track and strike the far-distant mark.194

The spear-catching contest was instituted as one of the final struggles.195 A difficult condition was attached to this spear-catching.196 Six spears were to be hurled at once by six chiefs not over sixty feet distant from the catcher.197 He was required to catch or stop at least four of these spears, not permitting more than two to pass by him.198

Thus the contests ended, and thus by a skilful use of Polynesian games companions were selected for the sons of Kii in their long journey to Hawaii.199

The wives of the young princes and some of the chiefs and warriors and boatmen were given places by the side of their husbands.200

So from Tahiti, in the long ago, a voyage of many days to many lands, through many strange experiences, was undertaken by brave men and women in a small fleet of the larger kind of Polynesian boats.201 So the sons of Kii sailed away toward the west to find the home from which their ancestors had come to found the dynasty of Tahitian kings which held rule over Tahiti until the white man controlled the beautiful islands of the Pacific.202 Instead of the original home of the Polynesians on the coast of Asia, the sons of Kii probably made their way to the new Hawaii and there founded two races of kings.203 The descendants of Ulu ruled the larger southern islands until overthrown in the eleventh century by Paao on the Island of Hawaii.204 The descendants of Nanaulu ruled the northern islands until a few years after Captain Cook discovered the Hawaiian group and called it “The Sandwich Islands.”205

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