From October through February in olden Hawaii, war was kapu (forbidden), all work halted and the people’s attention turned instead to games, sports, feasting, dancing and religious ceremonies honoring Lono, the god of agriculture. It is in this spirit of peace, gratitude and celebration that Turtle Bay Resort will host the second annual Makahiki Kuilima. Proceeds will benefit Ke Kula ‘o Samuel M. Kamakau, a Hawaiian language- and culture-based charter school in Haiku Valley on Oahu.

Planned are hula performances, food and craft booths and make-and-take crafts, including hu (spinning top) and ohe kapala (bamboo stamp for printing tapa). There also will be traditional games — ulu maika (bowling), hukihuki (tug-of-war), oo ihe (spear throwing), moa pahee (dart sliding) and ka lupe (kite flying). Long ago, keiki learned about wind patterns — key to canoe sailing — by observing how their kites danced in the sky.

Another highlight will be hee holua (see sidebar), sliding down Turtle Bay Resort’s 120-foot man-made hill on wooden papa holua (sleds). Cultural practitioner Tom Pohaku Stone has spent the past 20 years researching and reviving this ancient sport.

When Stone was a boy, his grandfather took him to Nuuanu, Keolu and Maunawili to glide down hills on "sleds" made of ti leaves. Stone loved listening to the stories his grandfather told about hee holua.

In 1993, as a student at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, he wrote a term paper about those tales for a Hawaiian cultural studies class. "Doing that paper really sparked my interest in hee holua," Stone said. "I found a kupuna (elder) in Wai­mea on the Big Island who got kauila wood for me. I brought the wood to Oahu and spent the next several months building a sled. I still ride that sled today."

Now a Hawaiian-studies lecturer at Kapiolani Community College, Stone thought an authentic holua course would be a valuable educational experience for visitors as well as keiki. In November 2011 he discussed the idea with Turtle Bay Resort executives, who embraced it and supplied the site, dirt and heavy equipment.

Volunteers from Kanalu, Stone’s nonprofit Hawaiian cultural organization, provided the labor. With the help of Billy Fields, an expert in traditional Hawaiian rock construction, the course was ready for the inaugural Makahiki Kuilima last January.

"In the old days, hee holua races took place on rock surfaces," Stone said. "Everyone could do hee holua, but the longest and most dangerous slides were reserved for alii (royalty) and selected warriors. Those slides were used during ceremonies honoring Pele and were more about ritualistic sacrifice than competition — being willing to risk your life to appease the volcano goddess."

According to Stone, the last documented hee holua race took place in Kona in 1825. The missionaries, who were spreading Christianity throughout the islands at the time, thought hee holua was frivolous, and discouraged the Hawaiians from doing it.

Nearly 200 years later, Stone is looking forward to seeing people enjoy the sport again. He has spent the past month making 8-, 9-, 10- and 12-foot papa holua for this year’s Makahiki Kui-lima (they’ll be displayed in Turtle Bay Resort’s lobby in the coming week).

"The course’s angle is just 15 degrees, which makes it a fun, safe ride," Stone said. "After the Makahiki, I’m going to donate the sleds to Ke Kula ‘o Samuel M. Kamakau for the children to use regularly. It’s important for them to not only learn about Hawaiian values and customs, but to practice them. That ensures our culture is a strong, living culture that will thrive for generations to come."

Riding Pele’s waves

Hee holua (to ride a sled) was not for the faint of heart. Atop a mountain slope, brave athletes would kneel, stand or lie stomach-down on a papa holua, a sled constructed of wood lashed together with olona fiber. When ready, they sped down a course made of lava rocks sprinkled with pili grass. Depending on the steepness of the slope and the weight of the sled (the heavier it was, the faster it went), they could go up to 50 miles per hour.

The sport paid tribute to Pele, the goddess of the volcano. Holua courses symbolized molten lava flowing down a mountain, and it was said the intrepid competitors rode the "waves" of Pele.

Papa holua typically weighed between 30 and 60 pounds, and measured about 12 feet long, 6 inches wide and 4 inches high. In olden times they were usually made of kauila, uhiuhi, mamane, ulu or ohia wood.

Strict protocols were followed during every step of the construction process, including offering chants and gifts to the gods and ancestors to ask permission to gather the wood, and performing an awa (kava) ceremony to awaken the spirit in the wood. Doing that supposedly helped the craftsman see the sled’s shape in the wood’s natural lines. Each papa holua was then blessed and named.

In 1999, Tom Pohaku Stone and his sons, Josh and Jason, started Kanalu, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization "dedicated to cultural and ocean education based on the traditions of our kupuna (elders)." They make and sell surfboards and papa holua, proceeds from which fund Kanalu’s cultural programs.

Father and sons follow the ancient protocols for each piece, shunning templates and mechanical measuring devices. Thus, every Kanalu sled and surfboard is one of a kind.

It takes the men about 38 hours to make a papa holua. Because supplies of native woods are limited today, they also work with non-native species such as pine, mango, oak, redwood and monkeypod. Olona is also difficult to obtain, so they use coconut cordage for lashing.

Prices start at $1,700. Call 561-5663 or check out Kanalu’s website, www.hahawaii.org, for more information. –Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi