to fight well to survive during times when population pressures would have
led to brutal warfare. These oral histories probably reflect the fighting skills
of those exceptional warriors who were able to prevail in such a climate.
An example of the scarce resources and demand for warriors is docu-
mented through the colonization of Easter Island and the eventual ruin of
the society established there. After the island was colonized by Polynesians,
the inhabitants channeled their energies into building great representations
of their gods after warfare became too destructive. Unfortunately, the sub-
limated behavior of building these figures used up most of the natural re-
sources of the island. The islanders entered a new phase of their existence
when it was apparent that no new figures could be constructed. They de-
veloped a ritual event. Once a year a contest was held to see who could
swim the shark-infested seas to one of the smaller islands and return with
a bird’s egg. The winner then helped select the chief. Even this eventually
placed a strain on the resources of the island, and by the time Easter Island
was “discovered” by the Europeans, the Rapa Nui culture was once again
on the road to intra-island warfare due to population pressures and lack of
technology. Warriors in this culture were revered as individuals who could
help a group survive during these bloody times. Unfortunately, little is
known about the actual fighting arts of the Pacific islanders. The coloniza-
tion of the islands by the Europeans was marked by events that not only
decimated the populations of these islands, but in so doing destroyed their
cultures. So complete was this destruction that today, long after the Euro-
pean colonization of the Hawaiian islands, fewer than 10 percent of native
Hawaiians can speak their own language.
The Europeans who contacted and later settled these islands also
brought with them diseases, such as smallpox, for which the native popu-
lations had no immunity. Just as destructive to the natives, the invaders also
brought with them a zeal to convert the “heathens” to the “correct” paths
of Western religious traditions. These factors, combined with the awe many
native peoples felt for the overwhelming technical superiority of the Euro-
peans, led to the loss of many native art forms. Without a doubt, martial
art traditions must be included in this list.
The native arsenal relied heavily on the wood and stone that were
found on the islands. Most Pacific islands were young in terms of geo-
logical age (Hawaii still contains more active volcanoes than any other
American state), so a wide variety of stones were readily available for use
in the construction of knives, daggers, and spear points. The variety of hard
woods available on the islands also led to the creation of superior fighting
staves and sticks. It is not surprising, therefore, that the use of the knife,
spear, and staff weapons became critical for the armed martial arts of these
islands.404 Pacific Islands