Printable Hawaiian board game
Kōnane, the Hawaiian checkers game you can play tonight
You want your kids to know a real Hawaiian game, not a craft with a flower on it. This is kōnane, ready to play. Print it, gather the pebbles, and sit down together.
Printable PDF. Delivered to your email. Materials not included.
Sound familiar?
You want a real Hawaiian game.
Finding one shouldn't take your week.
The rules are buried in old books. It's hard to tell which "Hawaiian activities" online are real. And you don't want to sit down with your kids and teach them something wrong.
The fix
Kōnane, ready to play
Open it with your child, and you're not researching or guessing. You're playing.
You'll say the words right. The Hawaiian words come with how to say them, before you need them.
You'll always know what to do next. One page runs the whole game. Print it, or keep it on your screen.
Nobody sits out. Both of you stay in the game until someone runs out of moves.
It grows with your child. Start on a small board, then move up to bigger ones.
And when the game is over, your kids get the story behind it, including the king nobody could beat.
Two ways to play
Pick the one that fits your day
Ready to Play · $5
For tonight, at the kitchen table
Open it with your child and be playing in minutes. No prep, no research.
Seven printable pages. Ages 8 and up. Two players, or three taking turns.
Three boards to print, from small to big, so the game can grow.
Easier and harder ways to play when you're ready.
The story of kōnane, so your kids know where it comes from.
Kōnane: Hawaiian Checkers · $19
For a class, a co-op or a group
Lead it with confidence. A run sheet tells you what to say, show and do, start to finish.
Twenty-five printable pages. Ages 8 and up. Pairs play together, then an eight-player tournament crowns a champion.
Six short history cards, with the sources listed on the last page, so you can answer "how do you know?"
A practice card and a challenge card, each with an easier and a harder version.
Fixes for the things that go wrong, plus handouts: Words to Know and Pass It On.
Not sure? One or two kids at home: Ready to Play. More than a pair: Kōnane: Hawaiian Checkers.
What you'll need
You gather the pebbles. The download covers the rest.
Both are digital downloads. Nothing ships.
A printed board (heavy paper works best)
18 black and 18 white pebbles, about ½ inch, for the small board. Bigger boards take more.
No pebbles? Black and white beans, buttons or checkers work.
No printer? Draw 6 rows of 6 circles on paper.
Pebbles stay on the board and away from small children.
The game
About kōnane, the Hawaiian checkers game
What is kōnane?
Kōnane (also spelled konane) is a traditional Hawaiian board game for two players, often called Hawaiian checkers. Players take turns jumping their opponent's pebbles in straight lines and taking them off the board. Pukui's Hawaiian Dictionary defines it as an "ancient game resembling checkers, played with pebbles placed in even lines on a stone or wood board."
The board and the pebbles
The board is called a papamū, and it was made from a slab of wood or stone. Long ago the black pebbles came from lava rock and the white stones from pieces of coral.
A game with a past
David Malo listed kōnane among the games played during the Makahiki season. In March 1779, Captain King of Captain Cook's voyage recorded watching it, and described a board about two feet long with 238 squares. King Kamehameha I loved the game, and it is said that no one could beat him.
Where this comes from
This page and both downloads are based on Dr. S. Wilfred Navalta's 1978 doctoral dissertation, The Sports and Games of the Makahiki Festival: A History and a Unit of Instruction. It draws on Pukui and Elbert, Andrews, Culin, Buck, Bryan, Emory, Kenn, Fornander, David Malo and Captain Cook's voyage. Some details have been adapted for modern play at home. Used with permission.
Keep reading
Questions
Good to know
What ages is it for?
Ages 8 and up.
How many can play?
Two players. Ready to Play adds a way to play with three taking turns. Kōnane: Hawaiian Checkers has pairs playing together and an eight-player tournament.
Do I need to know the game first?
No. Ready to Play puts what you need on one page. Kōnane: Hawaiian Checkers has a run sheet that tells you what to say next.
Is anything shipped?
No. Both are PDF downloads. You print the boards and gather the pebbles.
Can I play on a screen?
The Play page of Ready to Play works on a phone or tablet. You'll still need pebbles and a board, printed or drawn.
Can I use it in a class or group?
Yes. Kōnane: Hawaiian Checkers is written for families, homeschools, classrooms, Hawaiian studies programs, and youth and community groups.
Tonight, you could be playing.
A real Hawaiian game. A few minutes to open. Nothing to research.