Surf Culture Collective Seminar Series:
Seminar #1: Surfing is a Traditional Hawaiian Cultural Activity
Seminar #2 : Mythology of the Hawaiian Landscape
Seminar # 3: Kalai Papa He'e Nalu ~ Carving Hawaiian Surfboards
Hawaiian Surfboard Carving Clinic (Face-to-Face):
December 27th ~ 30th, 2023
1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Daily
December 27th ~ 30th, 2023
1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Daily
Aloha and Welcome to our Surf Culture Collective Course Series!
Below you will find a series of seminars where I share much of the curriculum that I share with my students and our community. These seminars are meant for the public ~ lifelong learners ~
whether you surf or not!
Each seminar is designed to provide professional development at a level befitting the general public, as well as the professional surfing community, teachers looking for PD credits, and students who want to do independent studies! I am happy to work with your school advisors & work managers to verify credit.
Using a Classroom-style site, participants explore Hawaiian Surfing Traditions through the stories of the people, places, and legendary characters dear to the Hawaiian people. The Surf Professor gives access to slideshows with pre-recorded narrations illuminating the specific topics covered each week. There will also be an opportunity for a Video Conference "Talk Story" where we get to meet each other and talk surf together. These Live Video conferences are available to you , because once you have taken a class, you are welcome to jump into the video conference using the link provided, as long as we keep the seminar series running!
Each 4-week seminar equals about 15 to 20 hours of time for the readings, recorded lectures, videos, discussions, live video conferencing, and a short article contributing to the PolySurf Magazine issue that we as a collective produce for each class! For those who want to check it out but don't want to do the hard work... no problem, come have fun and jump into a discussion of you choose to do so. For those of you who want the PD credits, read/watch the materials, jump into the discussions, do a write-up our blog about what you learned, and join me for a Video Conference to share your journey through the materials and ask any questions that you might have, then you will receive a Certificate of Professional Development for your resume! For those wanting official credit from your institution, Kumu Ian will work with you and your institution/organization to develop an appropriate portfolio as evidence that you have achieved the desired outcomes for the seminar and participated in our Surf Culture Collective talk story as well.
Course Descriptions
Seminar #1: Surfing is a Traditional Hawaiian Cultural Activity
OCTOBER 15 ~ November 11, 2023
Nā mahina Hoaka ~ Mauli
Week 1: What does surfing mean to you?
An Introduction to our Surf Culture Collective
In this first week of the seminar I share what surfing has come to mean for me, namely, that the activity is truly Hawaiian, integrated as a daily practice, a ritual athletic, and a poetic metaphor that flows throughout Hawaiian lore as an important theme with deep meaning. Here we look at the works from Kumu Ian's research and ask, who were the first surfers? As Professor Ben Finney, founding member of the Polynesian Voyaging Society says "Surfing is a basic marine adaptation of the seafaring peoples of Oceania!" Surfing seems to have reached its highest level of proficiency and cultural integration in Hawaiʻi. It was practiced as both a daily pastime and in formal competitions and annual festivals, and thus it should be considered as a traditional Hawaiian cultural activity—a popular subject for storytellers to recount.
Surf Culture Collective Talk Story #1:
For our discussion we take the time to introduce ourselves and talk about how you have brought surfing into your life, if at all... Whether you have ever surfed or not, it must have some meaning, recognition, or at least intrigue in your life since you chose to take this session on Hawaiian Surfing Traditions. So, please may I ask at this point, as you begin class: What does surfing mean to you?
Week 2: Hawaiian Surfing Terms & Areas in a Surfing Break
This module is a thematic study on Hawaiian surfing as a taxonomy of knowledge about 1) the environment, 2) uses of the environment, and 3) human beings & society. The wave itself, the ocean currents, the areas in a surf break, the colors of the sea, even the clouds in the sky and the whirlwinds, and the calm, were all aspects of nature named because they are significant. In this practical way, terminology was created for every conceivable aspect of nature that spoke to the environmental conditions moment by moment--in the heavens, in the sky, on the landscape, across and down into the depths of the seas. Hawaiians recognized and understood the terms related to weather and surf phenomena beyond what our modern society could even conceive, because it is experiential knowledge--it is felt through their interactions with nature, and it is translated into a world view that caused these people to thrive on the ocean and grow a nation on every island found by the voyaging people of the Pacific--Oceania that is...
Surf Culture Collective Talk Story #2:
From here out we start each video conference with an introduction of new people jumping on the call, then straight into the concepts discussed in the materials for that week, and then open it up to ask questions and share surfing stories where participants talk about personal connections to the knowledge and perspectives imparted upon participants that week and beyond!
Week 3: Hawaiian Surf Breaks, Place Names & Cultural Sites
Information about the wahi pana o heʻe nalu, ancient surfing locations around the islands are found in many legendary accounts. ʻĪʻī lists Kamehameha’s favorite surfing spots when discussing types of surfing, types of surfboards, and places to surf on Hawaiʻi Island. Surfing place names were collected by Pūkuʻi and later presented by Finney and Houston (1996). Hawaiian place names often have meanings relating to the local environment, specific island regions, religious sites and connotations, cultural ideology and practices, and even famous people or events. These places were commonly a subject of pride within the Hawaiian oral traditions. Chants abound with surfing place names and related descriptive terms, and it appears that these surfing sites are also favorite places amongst the locals. Specific surf breaks were noted for their characteristics and environmental conditions, as well as the events that occurred there. This week we tour the islands looking at ancient surfing breaks and the stories that they tell.
Surf Culture Collective Talk Story #3:
As mentioned, we start each video conference with an introduction of new people jumping on the call, then go straight into the concepts discussed in the materials for this week, so let's discuss our favorite surf spots and dig into the culture behind the names and places!
Week 4: Polynesian Surfing Myths & Legends
Hawaiian oral traditions include stories about women, men, and gods surfing waves on many of the islands in the Hawaiian chain. Sometimes surfing is only given brief mention, but other times it is developed as a significant theme in an exciting adventure or touching romance. Surfing is present in Hawaiian oral traditions as a vehicle of expression for characters portrayed in prose and poetry—a way of acting out cultural messages and morals. As a site of social interaction and curiosity among youth, romance was often lost and found in the surf. Surfing lore is full of courtship, love, scandal, and lament. Because surfing was such a popular, exciting, and dramatic practice, larger cultural messages are easily shared along surfing storylines to cultural practitioners of all classes, both sexes, and many locales. The poetic vision which surfing entails follows the lineage of the highest blue bloodlines of the Pacific Islanders that peopled Hawaiʻi. Let’s take a look at surfing’s legendary characters as their generations live and tell their stories while riding the genealogical wave of Hawaiian surfing!
Surf Culture Collective Talk Story #4:
We wrap up the first seminar series as always, we start with an introduction of new people jumping on the call, then go straight into the concepts discussed in the materials for this week, so share with us a surfing myth or legendary surfer from ancient times that you connect with through their stories. Towards the end of the call we will reflect on our journey together through our first seminar in the series.
Seminar #2 : Mythology of the Hawaiian Landscape
November 12th ~ December 9th
Week 1: Touring Hawaiian Ahupua‘a
An introduction to the Hawaiian ahupua’a as a natural watershed and a socioeconomic unit is given with emphasis on how our islands make us who we are. Hawaiian intelligence provides the foundation for understanding nature through a Hawaiian worldview—but for many of us today, it is the scientific method that provides that foundation. This first presentation in the series explores Hawaiian intelligence, epistemology, and sense of place, revealing how different cultural pathways can lead to similar conclusions about nature and the world we live in. Nature is the bridge that connects scientific theory with culture, thus bringing cultural meaning to what we know from science. Discussion topics include protocol, cultural sensitivity, and appropriate behavior in sacred places with special people. Learn the importance of Hawaiian worldview in defining sacred spaces and places, as well as in describing the landscape of our island home.
Week 2: Voyages and Volcanoes
Hawaiian cultural concepts about the birthing of the islands by deities, islands being pulled out of the sea by oceanic heroes, and the Pele cycle of myths, are brought forward as poetic social and environmental histories that correlate with scientific understandings of natural processes. This session looks at the geological history of the Hawaiian Islands as it is shared through Polynesian voyaging traditions. Several cosmological chants concerning origins of the Hawaiian islands and people are discussed, including the famous cycle of myths concerning the activities of Pele mā--the goddess of volcanism and her family, illuminating how these epic tales correctly portray the volcanic origin and growth of our Hawaiian chain while as well as adventures and migrations from southern origins.
Week 3: Spouting Waters
A visual presentation of the chant Ka Wai Ola a Kāne reveals the Hawaiian understanding of natural processes that govern our water cycle and provide our islands with fresh water. Hawaiian myths and legends are poetic visions encoded with environmental and cultural information that is meant to bring about the thriving growth of an island nation, and such growth depends on the availability of fresh water. The Hydrologic Cycle is assessed through the Hawaiian poem asking where to find water, Ka Wai Ola A Kāne, in order to better understand the source and flow of fresh water in our island environment. This presentation also shows why the moʻo (giant lizards) are associated with freshwater courses, fishponds, and ridges, and how their bodies have become part of the Hawaiian landscape then and now.
Week 4: Hawaiian Weather Deities
The story of Keaomelemele is retold to show Hawaiian understanding of natural weather phenomena. This presentation addresses weather in the tropics, the systems that govern our tradewinds, and the seasonal patterns of storms coming hither, revealing a poetic picture of the synoptic feature map that illuminates new ways to observe the sky and forecast weather in the Hawaiian Islands. A pantheon of weather deities are recognized as we branch out from the foundation of Keaomelemele, identifying how many Hawaiian deities had weather forms that provided insight, warning, and protection to their living descendants, aliʻi, kahuna, and the lāhui, whom they love. We are humbled to walk among the deities of this place. Aloha ʻāina ~ a mau loa.
Seminar # 3: Kalai Papa He'e Nalu ~ Carving Hawaiian Surfboards
December 9th ~ December 31st (Lā'aupau!)
Hawaiian Surfboard Carving Clinic (Face-to-Face):
December 27th ~ 30th, 2023
Please stand by as I build the description for the third seminar in the series. Mahalo! I
December 9th ~ December 31st (Lā'aupau!)
Hawaiian Surfboard Carving Clinic (Face-to-Face):
December 27th ~ 30th, 2023
Please stand by as I build the description for the third seminar in the series. Mahalo! I
Hawaiian Surfboard Carving Clinic (Face-to-Face):
December 27th ~ 30th, 2023
Please stand by as I build the description for the second seminar in the series. Mahalo! I
December 27th ~ 30th, 2023
Please stand by as I build the description for the second seminar in the series. Mahalo! I