Hawaiian lava sledding ( Hawaiian: hee hōlua, "sled surfing") is a traditional sport of the

Native Hawaiians Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians; , , , and ) are the Indigenous Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaiʻi was settled at least 800 years ago by Polynesian ...

. Similar to wave

surfing Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suita ...

, hee hōlua involves the use of a narrow ( long, wide) wooden

sled A sled, skid, sledge, or sleigh is a land vehicle that slides across a surface, usually of ice or snow. It is built with either a smooth underside or a separate body supported by two or more smooth, relatively narrow, longitudinal runners ...

(''papa hōlua''). The sled is used standing up, lying down, or kneeling, to ride down man-made or naturally occurring courses (''kahua hōlua)'' of rock, often reaching speeds of or greater. In the past, Hawaiian lava sledding was considered both a sport and a

religious Religion is a range of social- cultural systems, including designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relate humanity to supernatural ...

ritual for honoring the

gods A deity or god is a supernatural being considered to be sacred and worthy of worship due to having authority over some aspect of the universe and/or life. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines ''deity'' as a God (male deity), god or god ...

Sleds

Papa hōlua are composed of a pair of runners and a superstructure (platform). The runners are made from hard native woods, traditionally that of kauila ('' Alphitonia ponderosa'' or '' Colubrina oppositifolia''), uhiuhi ('' Caesalpinia kavaiensis''), or māmane (''

Sophora chrysophylla ''Sophora chrysophylla'', known as ''māmane'' in Hawaiian language, Hawaiian, is a species of flowering plant in the pea and bean family, Fabaceae, that is Endemism, endemic to Hawaii. It is highly Polymorphism (biology), polymorphic, growing a ...

''). The runners have up-curved fore edges, straight aft edges, and rounded lower edges. Crosspieces keep the runners apart. The superstructure, two rails smaller in diameter than the runners and spaced apart by pieces of

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...

, sits on top of the crosspieces. The runners, crosspieces, and rails are bound together with

sennit Sennit is a type of cordage made by plaiting rope fibres or strands of dried fibre or grass. In western European nautical traditions, it was used to make flat plaited straps for use aboard ship. It can be used ornamentally in crafts, like a kin ...

cordage. The rails are wrapped in white

kapa Kapa is a fabric made by native Hawaiians from the bast fibres of certain species of trees and shrubs in the orders Rosales and Malvales. The bark is beaten and felted to achieve a soft texture and dye stamped in geometric patterns. Description ...

cloth and the rail frame is covered in

lauhala ''Lauhala'', ''lau'' meaning "leaf" in the Hawaiian language, refers to the leaves of the hala tree ''(Pandanus tectorius)''. Uses The hala tree is of great cultural, health and economic importance in many Pacific Islands. The fruit of the tree i ...

matting.

Oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) and lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturate ...

from kukui ('' Aleurites moluccana'') nuts coats either the course or the runners to provide lubrication.

Courses

A kahua hōlua foundation, which is made of rocks, is built in a depression on a hillside. The foundation is covered in packed-in dirt and an outer layer of pili grass (''

Heteropogon contortus ''Heteropogon contortus'' is a tropical, perennial tussock grass with a native distribution encompassing Southern Africa, southern Asia, Northern Australia, Oceania, and southwestern North America. The species has also become a naturalised weed ...

'') or kō (''

Saccharum officinarum ''Saccharum officinarum'' is a large, strong-growing species of grass in the sugarcane genus. Its stout stalks are rich in sucrose, a disaccharide sugar which accumulates in the stalk internodes. It originated in New Guinea, and is now cultivate ...

'') flower tassels. Courses are wide enough for a single sled and are not sloped at the bottom. A skilled rider can travel on the course, reaching the flat portion.

References

{{reflist Hawaiiana Sledding Sports originating in the United States Sports originating in Oceania