GAMES

Hawaiian Games and Pastimes
Baltimore Area Council

Games and pastimes in great variety afforded relief from the oppression of the kapus and from the work necessary for everyday living. Each district had its kahua or field where great sports tournaments (ho’ok ?k?) were held. Here the multitudes watched their champions match their skill and strength in such sports as boxing and wrestling. Quieter pastimes amused the people far into the night. In some districts the sea was ideal for surfing, diving or canoe racing. The slope of some hills provided courses for the chiefs’ holua sleds or the ti-leaf slides of the commoners.

The four month period known as the Makahiki was an annual holiday season dedicated to Lono-i-ka-Makahiti, god of sports. During this season most of the work ceased, wars stopped, the people paid their taxes to their chiefs, then played games and danced.

Early visitors to Hawaii wrote of being spectators at tournaments or demonstrations and praised the players for their vigor, their bravery and good humor. Much that is known about the important sports was recorded during the early years, since most of these games were discontinued within twenty years after the overthrow of the kapus and the acceptance of introduced ways.

The decline of the native sports was caused by a number of factors.

• The Hawaiian people were so intensely interested in the new culture of the foreigners that they neglected their games in order to earn money to purchase introduced articles.
• Introduced sports and pastimes were accepted and replaced most of the native games.
• The chiefs no longer maintained their “courts” where young men played games for the entertainment of their elders and as training for Hawaiian warfare.
• The betting that accompanied the old games met with the intense disfavor of the missionaries. The most satisfactory way to discourage gambling was to discourage the games.

Kula’i W?wae (Foot Pushing)
Baltimore Area Council

This old Hawaiian games tests the strength of your leg muscles.

What you need:

Pairs of players,
A referee for each pair.

How to Play:

• Each player sits facing his partner.  They sit far enough apart so that their knees are slightly bent.  The toes and balls of their feet should touch each other.
• Their hands should be flat behind them.  Their arms should be straight.  This will hold their bodies in position.
• The referee calls, “Get ready!“
• The referee calls, “Begin!“
• Each player pushes his feet against the other player's feet. A player can push straight ahead so that the other player is moved backwards. Or he can try to push the other player's feet to the right or left side.

Scoring:

A player wins if he moves his partner away from him or out of his sitting position.

Lou-Lou (Pulling Hooked Fingers)
Baltimore Area Council

Hawaiians of long ago played this game to develop strong hand and finger muscles.

What you Need:

Pairs of players,
a referee for each pair.

How to Play:

• The referee calls, “ho’o-m?kaukau.” (get ready)
• Each player steps up to his partner. The right little toe of one player’s foot is placed next to his partner’s right little toe. During the game the left foot may move, but the right foot must stay in this position.
• Each player holds out his right hand with the index finger straight out. His thumb should be flat on the palm. His other three fingers hold down the thumb.
• His index finger is then curved around the other player’s like a hook.
• Players could also use other fingers of their right hands. They must be sure that the rest of the fingers are flat against the palm of the hand.
• The referee calls, ”‘oia.” (begin)
• Each player pulls his hooked finger back slowly. Players are not allowed to jerk suddenly.
• The referee should encourage the contestants by calling, “Huki! Huki!” (pull! pull!) as the players strain for victory.

How to score :

• The one who can make the other player’s finger straighten wins a point.
• If a player moves his right foot out of position, he loses.
• This game can also be played so that the winner is the person who first makes ten points.

No’a  (Finding a Pebble under a Cloth)
Baltimore Area Council

Both children and adults played this game in old Hawaii.
Good players learn to watch faces and motions very carefully.

What you Need:

• A no'a or stone, about the size of a quarter.
• A mile, or stick, to use for pointing. You can tie a piece of kapa or a piece of ti leaf to the end of a stick. This will make it look like the pointing stick the Hawaiians used.
• Pieces of kapa or cloth the size of a large handkerchief. If ten people are going to play, you will need five pieces of cloth. You need the same number of pieces of cloth as there are players on one team.

How to Play:

• Form two teams. The people on one team sit across from the people on the other team, facing each other, about three feet apart.
• Put the five pieces of cloth on the floor between the two teams.
• The person to hide the stone holds it in his hand so that no me can see it. Then he lifts the edge of one of the pieces of cloth and puts his hand under it. He does this with each piece of cloth. He drops the stone under one of the pieces of cloth, but he tries hard not to let the people on the other team know which cloth has the stone under it.
• The team that is watching will guess which cloth has the stone under it. When the members of that team have decided Which cloth the stone is under, they point to that cloth with the pointing stick.
• The watching team watches very carefully. That team might look at the face of the person who is hiding the stone, or watch his arm, or watch for other clues that might tell where the stone is. The person who is hiding the stone tries to fool the other team and not let those players know where the stone is.
• Each team takes turns hiding the stone until one team has found it ten times.

How to Score:

• Every time a team guesses where the stone is, that team gets a point. The first team to get ten points wins.
• Another way to win is to get a point every time a team points to a cloth without the stone under it. The first team to get ten points wins the game.

Rolling Stones ('Ulumaika)
San Gabriel Valley, Long Beach & Verdugo Hills Councils

This ancient Hawaiian game is played similar to horseshoes. Set up a small stick post in the ground. Each person chooses a stone and tosses it at the post. The player who’s stone stops closest to the stick wins!

Spear Throwing
San Gabriel Valley, Long Beach & Verdugo Hills Councils

See which "warriors" can toss their spear or darts and hit a watermelon target.

Here is an alternate to the watermelon from
Great Salt Lake Council

Materials needed:

Pool noodles and hula hoops

Play:

Directions

• Warriors have contests to see how many spears (pool noodles) each can toss into the pool of fish (hula hoop) accurately.
• Obviously the warrior with the most hits wins.

PASS THE COCONUT

Materials needed:

one coconut,

 music preferably Hawaiian

Warrore name and symnbol of uthority for each boy advancing.  (A long feather will do,  CD)

Directions

Players sit in a circle with one player holding the coconut. The music begins and the coconut is passed around the circle until the music is stopped.

The player holding the coconut when the music is stopped is out.

The music begins again and the play

continues until there is only one player left.

Musical Beach Towels Or Mats
Great Salt Lake Council

Materials needed:

• Beach towels or mats for each player minus one (carpet squares could be used instead as the beach towels could be too slippery),
• Music to play (preferably Hawaiian).
• Play:

Directions

• Lay out one less beach towel/mat than you have players/beach walkers.
• Have the beach walkers walk in a circle around the towels/mats when the music plays.
• When the music is turned off the beach walkers must stand on a towel/mat.
• The beach walker who does not make it to a towel/mat is out until the next game. 
• Remove another towel/mat and start the music again.
• Keep repeating this until there is only one beach

walker left.

PASS THE COCONUT

Materials needed:

one coconut,

 music preferably Hawaiian

Warrore name and symnbol of uthority for each boy advancing.  (A long feather will do,  CD)

Directions

Players sit in a circle with one player holding the coconut. The music begins and the coconut is passed around the circle until the music is stopped.

The player holding the coconut when the music is stopped is out.

The music begins again and the play

continues until there is only one player left.

Foot Races (kukini)
St Louis Area Council

Ancient Hawaiians used to hold foot races to see which warrior was the fastest. You can hold single person races, three legged races, and backwards running races.

Konane (Hawaiian Checkers)
St Louis Area Council

Materials:

• Stiff cardboard with 8-by-8-in. grid drawn on it
• 32 white game pieces
• 32 black game pieces

Directions

• Fill the squares on the board with game pieces, alternating colors.
• Remove one white and one black piece from the center of the board.
• Decide who will play white and who will play black.
• Black goes first, jumping a white piece and removing it from the board.
• Players take turns jumping and removing pieces.
• Each jump must be made over only one stone at a time.
• A player may capture more than one stone at a turn.
• Players may jump forward or backward, left or right, but not diagonally.
• They cannot change direction in any given turn.
• The game is over when neither player can move.
• The winner of the game can be either the player who made the last move or the one who captures the most pieces.

Kimo Says Hula Game
St Louis Area Council

Pick someone to be the move caller- Kimo. This game is played like "Simon Says". When the caller calls out "Kimo says" and a hula move with a description then everyone should do the hula move. If the caller does not say "Kimo says" before the move then anyone who does the move must sit out until the next game. The game continues until only one person remains.

Besides the following list, there are several sets of Hula instructions under Pack and Den Activities  CD

Basic Hula Steps
St Louis Area Council

• Ami: Right - rotate hips counterclockwise, one rotation for each count.
• Ami Left - rotate hips clockwise. Bent knees make the 'ami easier.
• Hela: Point right foot forward, bring back, then point left foot forward, then bring back.
• Huli: Rotate around while swaying the hips
• Kaholo:A kaholo is more of a sliding step, rather than lifting the foot as you move. It is used to step side-to-side, front to back, and diagonally.
• Ka'o: Sway hips by shifting weight to the right side and lift left heel. Then shift weight to the left side and lift right heel.
• Lele: Step right, then left, either forward or back.
• Love Hand Movement: Hands cross at chest to show embracing love
• Ocean Hand Movement: hands gently beat up and down showing the rhythm of the waves.
• Rainbow Hand Movement: palms of the hands meet at the left... right hand lifts and shapes an arching rainbow
• Rising Sun Hand Movement: start at the knees, both hands part and rise above the head to shape the sun
• Singing or Story Telling Hand Movement: hand gracefully gesturing at mouth for song • Swaying Palms Hand Movement: left arm becomes the land, right arm and fingers sway showing a waving palm.
• Swirling Winds Hand Movement: left hand forward while right hand circles twice over head
• Tide roll Hand Movement: hands continually roll over each other to show the rolling sea

Tacky Tourist Relay Race
San Gabriel Valley, Long Beach & Verdugo Hills Councils

Equipment:

Two Grass skirts, 2 pairs of Bermuda shorts,  2 pairs sunglasses, 2 Straw Hats , 2 lei necklaces, 2 Beach bags, 2 Beach chairs

Directions:

Divide the group into two teams

Each team lines up in a row. Place chairs a reasonable running distance in front of each team or any distance your space will allow. The objects listed above are placed into the beach bags and located with each team. The first players on each team, put on ALL of the items, run to the chair, return to their team, remove the items, and pass the bag to the next player. The next players continue until the entire team has had a turn.

"Hot Coconut"
San Gabriel Valley, Long Beach & Verdugo Hills Councils

Play as you would "hot potato", using a whole coconut.  Pass the coconut around the circle from person to person quickly, while music is playing. When the music stops, the person holding the coconut sits in the middle or controls the music for one round.

Pin a Coconut on a Palm Tree
St Louis Area Council

Materials:

• Brown construction paper
• green construction paper
• brown felt
• scissors
• tape

Directions

• Draw a palm tree about 4 ft. tall on the brown paper.
• Use green construction paper or poster board to make palm leaves.
• Use brown felt circles for coconuts.
• Blindfold each boy and see whose coconut makes it to the tree!