Comments on: Centuries of River Surfing History in Hawaiʻi – Resetting the Global Narrative

By: macdon

macdon — Sat, 07 Aug 2021 03:50:00 +0000

While reviewing old emails I also ran across another important quote from Mr. Stone:
“As far it (heʻe puʻe wai) originating in Hawaiʻi itʻs possible since as a kid we used to ride the standing waves at various river-mouths that entered into the sea. Maybe not standing (at least I didnʻt) but for sure kneeling and prone. This would be in the mid-50ʻs thru the early 60ʻs.”
That Hawaiian and local keiki were riding standing waves that early suggests a clear bridge between ancestral heʻe puʻe wai knowledge and methods and the sport’s resurrection in the last quarter of the 20th century.
I am encouraging people to treat this piece as a peer-review article. Other authors can and should publish their own accounts, challenge any of its conclusions and fill in any discrepancies. The world needs to hear more of the stories behind the true origins of heʻe puʻe wai.

By: HEATHER MALIA RATH

HEATHER MALIA RATH — Fri, 30 Jul 2021 04:10:00 +0000

Mahalo nui loa. Yes, he was, very much and raised us to be as well. My auntie Paula wrote it. Thank you again.

By: macdon

macdon — Fri, 30 Jul 2021 02:33:00 +0000

Aloha Heather,
I ran across you’re your Dad’s obituary while I was researching this article. It is family-placed, and summarizes your father’s wonderful life. This comment section won’t let me post the link, but folks should search it. He really was keiki o ke kai, a child of the sea.
Don P.

By: macdon

macdon — Thu, 29 Jul 2021 19:18:00 +0000

Hawaiian cultural practitioner Tom Pōhaku Stone had shared insights into ancestral Hawaiian papa heʻe nalu (surfboards) that I regret having neglected in my article discussion. In a portion of a 5/26/2019 email, he wrote:
“Paʻe Poʻo just refers to riding a wave head first towards shore or drifting a shore….it does not specify a board type…the boards we used prior to contact and through my childhood was either a “papa uma” (board used under the chest) or papa pāhā (a small board that could be used kneeling or prone and standing for those who were really good)….we know from research that the word “Paipo” is from a native American tribe that was once the coastal people of the San Diego area and the first boards “Paipo” boards made around 1925 were produced for Alexander Hume Ford of the Outrigger Surf/Canoe Club. The paipoʻs were made from at Pacific Homes Company in San Diego using the name “Paipo” we assume because the board originated from the same place as the Native American tribe “Paipo”.”
e kala mai i a`u,
Don P.

By: HEATHER MALIA RATH

HEATHER MALIA RATH — Mon, 26 Jul 2021 21:36:00 +0000

Mahalo for the mention of my late Father, Robbie Rath. I always enjoy discovering new things about him and his life in the ocean.
- Heather Malia Rath

By: Riverbreak Magazine

Riverbreak Magazine — Wed, 14 Jul 2021 07:34:00 +0000

Thanks for the props Seal, stoked you like the piece – it means a lot to us! It’s impressive what DP has put together here – this changes the whole narrative about the roots of river surfing forever! Just WOW!

By: seal morgan

seal morgan — Tue, 13 Jul 2021 02:43:00 +0000

Watching you struggle for the last year trying to tie up the loose ends, man oh man, brah, do you have patience! I thought publishing my Massacre Sites: Working for the Dead novel was tough. As the definitive history of where river surfing comes from, this changes the face of the sport for the better.
No ego, no crap, just the whole truth and nothing but! How cool is that?
We knew we weren’t the first when we wrote the Lunch Counter Trilogy but…hundreds of years (at LEAST!) before us is a mind-boggle! But then where did surfing start? In the Islands! Thanks, and much love to Phil B and the Riverbreak family for making it into a masterpiece, from this tiny corner of Washington State!
DP my oldest surfer friend and partner, you did good. Most heart-felt congrats!
Seal