A long piece of kapa is drawn between two rows of seated players, the king and the higher chiefs among them, playing after dark. The president calls out pūheoheo and the players answer back in kind. A man steps forward and chants before three men lift the cloth high enough to hide the whole row from view. Behind it, one player hides a stone on a teammate's body, and when the cloth comes down every face turns toward the ground so no expression gives it away.
Pūhenehene
Andrews defines the term pūhenehene as "the name of a play performed by hiding a stone called no'a under a tapa; and the game consists in guessing where to find it." Pukui defines it as "to play a game: A stone or piece of wood called no'a was hidden on the person of a player, and the other players tried to guess on whom it was hidden."
Most authors agree that pūhenehene involved hiding a pebble on a person.
As Malo Documented It
Players: Two groups seated in rows facing each other.
Objective: Guess which player on the opposing side is hiding the no'a.
Equipment: A no'a, and a long piece of kapa.
The game was played at night.
The players sat in rows facing each other, with a long piece of kapa drawn between both groups.
The president called out "pūheoheo" and the people responded "pūheoheo."
A man came forward and chanted a pleasing song.
Three men lifted the long kapa and, with it, covered and hid from view the entire group.
One of the players of the hidden group hid the no'a on a teammate.
The kapa cloth was removed, and all the players leaned forward and looked down so their facial expressions did not give their opponents a clue as to who had the no'a.
The opposing side made a guess as to which player had the no'a. If the guess was right, it counted for their group.
When a team scored ten points, it was a match won, and someone would start up a hula dance to celebrate the victory.
As Fornander Documented It
Ten men and ten women (are chosen), ten on one side and ten on the other; they must, however, be alternately men and women, until ten are chosen, and the same on the other side. They sit in two rows of ten each. One covering cloth is provided for them, and the same for the other side. In that time the one who held the stone hides it on the person of one of the ten. When the stone is concealed the faces are exposed above the covering, then the other side searches. This is continued until the game is won.
The Gourd Containers
Ii, an eyewitness to the game of pūhenehene, documented another variation. The no'a used in the game was a scrap piece of kapa twisted into a ball. The no'a was hidden by a player who inserted his hand and hid it under one of the gourd containers that lay between two teams.
Pūhenehene is only one part of the rich tradition of Hawaiian games. If it leaves you curious to discover what else was played, continue the journey with the Scavenger Hunt Kit. Sixteen riddles leading you to sixteen traditional games.
Makahiki Games
Sources
Andrews, Lorrin. A Dictionary of the Hawaiian Language. Tokyo, Japan: Charles E. Tuttle Co. 1974.
Pukui, Mary K. and S. Elbert. Hawaiian Dictionary: Hawaiian English-English Hawaiian. 1st Edition. Honolulu: University Press of Hawaii. 1971.
Malo, David. Hawaiian Antiquities. 2nd Edition. Honolulu, Hawaii: Bernice P. Bishop Museum. 1898.
Ii, John P. Fragments of Hawaiian History. Honolulu: Bishop P. Museum Press. 1959.
Fornander, Abraham. Hawaiian Antiquities and Folk-Lore. Honolulu, Hawaii: Bishop Museum Press. 1919–1920.
Kenn, Charles W. "Ancient Hawaiian Sports." The Mid-Pacific Magazine. October–December 1935.