Surfing’s Emergence in the Postcolonial United States
by Dina Gilio-Whitaker
Part 1
I use the term “post” in postcolonial in the very loosest sense since, as many indigenous scholars recognize, there is little about colonialism that is actually past-tense. If we are to follow a strand in postcolonial studies known as settler colonialism, we can see that colonialism in settler states (like the United States, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand) is more than an historical event, it is a structure that permeates all levels of society. The world of surfing and surf culture is no different. Seen from this perspective surf culture, far from being the subversive radical subculture it claims to be, it is more a reflection of the dominant society than it cares to think. In point of fact, modern surf culture could only come into existence as a result of patterns of colonial domination of indigenous peoples that characterizes settler states like the United States.
I center my analysis in the US mainland since it is widely recognized that modern surf culture emerges from there. The same principles are, however, applicable in places like Australia and New Zealand where settler practices are also foundational, and where there are vibrant surf cultures. “Settler” refers broadly to the waves of foreign invasion that displaced indigenous populations and resulted in new states (aka nation-states), eventually outnumbering the indigenous populations due to disease, war, and other forms of genocide. In the US, while this history is only minimally acknowledged, it is abundantly documented.
Surfing’s Origins
Surfing, of course, was the blessing of indigenous Hawaiians who practiced the art of upright boardriding (he’e nalu) for centuries before being “discovered” by Europeans in 1778. The story of surfing’s spread to the mainland is well known among surfers educated about their sport. In this narrative, the haole transplant to Hawaii, Alexander Hume Ford, would almost single-handedly revive a nearly extinct Hawaiian sport and teach it to other elite haole settlers in turn-of-the-century Hawaii through the formation of the Waikiki Outrigger Canoe Club.
According to Ford, they would also become even better at surfing than the Hawaiians. According to the conventional narrative the club sparked intense rivalry between them and Native Hawaiians who formed a club of their own, the Hui Nalu. All of this is set against the backdrop of American imperialism. The US had only a few years before staging a military coup against the Hawaiian Kingdom government, illegally deposing Queen Lilioukalani and installing its own government, many of whom later became Outrigger Club members.
In a recent surfing history book called Waves of Resistance: Surfing and History in Twentieth Century Hawaii, Isaiah Walker writes about how surfing became a way for Native Hawaiians to contest the colonial American government and exercise a form of political power where they otherwise had very little. He also discredits claims that Ford resurrected an otherwise extinct Hawaiian tradition. The book is an important intervention in mainstream surfing history narratives.
Surfing Immigrates to the Mainland
Modern surfing first appeared in California in 1885 in Northern California. Three Hawaiian Princes—Jonah Kuhio Kalaninanole and his brothers David Laamea Kahalepouli Piikoi Kawananakoa and Edward Keliiahonui—were attending military school in San Mateo, as was common practice for Hawaiian royalty. One day they showed up at the mouth of the San Lorenzo River in Santa Cruz with freshly milled redwood surfboards and gave a demonstration of surfboard riding, delightfully astounding local crowds. Santa Cruz historians contend that surfing caught on among the locals and was being practiced long after the Princes returned to the islands.
Surfing’s appearance in Southern California in the early 1900’s has, however, been far more high profile and has been written about as the “true” origins of modern surf culture, despite the Santa Cruz history. In 1907, Hawaiian Hui Nalu member George Freeth would first introduce Southern Californians to the art of wave riding. A few years later, Olympic champion Duke Kahanamoku would reveal surfing to New Jersey and New York, eventually coming to Southern California and fueling the growth of surf culture.
A Subculture Emerges
By the late 1920’s the nucleus of a surfing subculture had formed, having taken root in Orange County at San Onofre beach, and in Los Angeles County at Malibu. San Onofre was especially popular because of its isolation and long stretch of beach that could accommodate cars and lots of people. Surf historian Drew Kampion characterized it as the “breeding ground for Hawaii-inspired surf culture.” At a time of very little state regulation, people could camp at San Onofre for weeks at a time, surfing, playing ukuleles and wearing grass skirts. A campy faux-Hawaiian/tribalesque culture had sprouted in an age when Hawaii was being prostituted by a maturing tourist industry, pedaling the “aloha spirit” to those who could afford it.
The post-war era ushered in Hollywood’s influence on the new subculture, fueling its popular culture development through the iconic movies and books like Gidget, Beach Party, Ride the Wild Surf, and so many others. Surf culture exploded, mediated by the forces of ever-evolving surfboard technology and commercialism.
-Drew Kampion. “Stoked! A History of Surf Culture,” pg, 49
References
Dunn, Geoffrey and Kim Stoner. Riders of the Sea Spray (Origins of Surfing in Santa Cruz), http://www.santacruzhotelgroup.com/Santa-Cruz-Surfing/index.php
Kampion, Drew. Stoked! A History of Surf Culture, Gibbs Smith Publisher, 2003.
Pierce, Lori. “The Whites Have Created Modern Honolulu,” in Racial Thinking in the United States. Eds. Paul Spikard and G. Reginald Daniel. University of Notre Dame Press, 2004.
Walker, Isaiah Helekunihi. Waves of Resistance: Surfing History in Twentieth Century Hawaii, University of Hawaii Press, 2011.
Dina Gilio-Whitaker (Colville) is a freelance writer and Research Associate at the Center for World Indigenous Studies. She was educated at the University of New Mexico and holds a bachelor’s degree in Native American Studies and a master’s degree in American Studies. Follow her blog at DinaGWhitaker.wordpress.com
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