Kaua‘i kōnane expert working to revitalize ancient Hawaiian board game

Thirty-six to 100 pieces, some black, some white, are arranged in alternating order on a checkerboard six to 10 spaces square: This is the start of an ancient Hawaiian game of kōnane.

Soon after play begins, players are faced with a daunting number of moves. Forethought is rewarded. Rashness often results in defeat.

Kōnane, like many great games, takes minutes to learn but perhaps a lifetime to master.

Anahola resident and kōnane expert John Ka‘ohelauli‘i is gearing up for a series of events scheduled on Kaua‘i and O‘ahu throughout November, December and beyond.

In his 2023 “Black Book of Kōnane,” Ka‘ohelauli‘i described the change that occurred when he dedicated himself to the game.

“I started to make connections about the things I knew about Hawaiian history,” he wrote. “I was … learning more about me and who I am as a player, who I am as a person.”

Kōnane is often described as Hawaiian checkers. This comparison, while flawed, is effective shorthand: Both involve players “jumping” opponents’ pieces on a checkerboard. But kōnane is won by the player who makes the last move, not the player who captures the most pieces.

Steeped in strategy, kōnane is a pastime associated with the season of Makahiki, an annual four-month period dedicated to the god Lono that begins in late October or early November.

Ka‘ohelauli‘i is spending the current Makahiki season continuing to uncover the history of kōnane while teaching the game to young and old, locals and visitors. He and other experts recently visited Honolulu to research and examine papamū (kōnane boards) in the collection of the Bishop Museum.

The origin of the game is unknown. But English explorer Capt. James Cook documented the playing of kōnane that he witnessed during his time in the Hawaiian Islands.

In Cook’s account of his final voyage, published after his death in 1779 on Hawai‘i Island, Cook described Hawaiians as “great gamblers” who placed wagers over a game “very much like our draughts.”

The captain referred to papamū far larger than boards often seen today, noting a papamū about two feet long with 238 squares.

Cook’s accounts are notable for their frequent adherence to objectivity, according to bestselling author Hampton Sides’ 2024 book “The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook.”

Westerners who traveled to Hawai‘i in Cook’s wake did not share the dead captain’s relatively nonjudgmental tendencies.

Gambling conducted over papamū (reported wagers include canoes and land or water use privileges) was weighted with significance. To bet something of value underscored a consummate player’s great ability.

Christian missionaries, however, disapproved of kōnane and related gambling, deeming the activities to be frivolous and evil. As a result, kōnane was suppressed and nearly eliminated.

Even today, the game remains relatively unknown, and Ka‘ohelauli‘i has found Hawaiians and other local residents are often reluctant to learn it.

Ka‘ohelauli‘i is not sure why this is the case, although he frequently ponders the issue. Contributing factors may include kūpuna simply stuck in their ways. Other individuals may be hesitant to learn in a public setting alongside loud, enthusiastic vacationers.

“You’ve got to understand the cultural history of a time period where Hawaiian culture was discouraged,” Ka‘ohelauli‘i said. “So, as the generations move forward, there’s that stigma that follows.”

Ka‘ohelauli‘i is not discouraged. He operates the small business hawaiiancheckers.com, also hosts kōnane workshops and school programs, as well as free activity stations and pop-up sales booths at community events.

He is also organizing a series of middle school kōnane tournaments on Kaua‘i that will culminate in a final match on March 1. He plans to have commentary on the final match conducted all in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, the Hawaiian language.

“I’m going to go out on a limb and say [it has not been done] in a few hundred years,” he said.

In a game of kōnane, two players take turns jumping their ‘Ili‘ili (small stones) over their opponent’s. Diagonal movement is not allowed. ‘Ili‘ili may only jump forward, backward, and to the left and right. Double-jumping is permitted, as well, but is not necessarily advisable: Doing so uses two precious moves, rather than just one, and the player who makes the last possible move on the papamū wins.

Ka‘ohelauli‘i has called papamū calculators or simple computers. And, indeed, he is not the only one to emphasize the role of mathematics in gameplay. For decades, kōnane has been the subject of combinatorial game theory research published by academics at universities throughout the world.

He also sees in kōnane something more than a game. Its papamū is, among other things, an interface connecting players to Hawaiian culture in the past, present and future.

These boards are traditionally fashioned from wood or stone, although Ka‘ohelauli‘i has developed a cloth version intended for education and easy transport. ‘Ili‘ili are the small volcanic stones and broken corals traditionally used as black and white game pieces.

Ka‘ohelauli‘i notes ‘ili‘ili encompass the entire Hawaiian environment: The black volcanic stones represent land-based resources, while the white corals represent the bounty of the surrounding ocean.

“Kōnane is resource management,” he said. “Bottom line, to be successful, you have to manage your resources in a successful way.”

Resources in a game of kōnane include ‘ili‘ili, players’ moves and time itself. This last resource is unlimited, yet a talented player spends it wisely.

Ali‘i (rulers) spent Makahiki, according to Ka‘ohelauli‘i, assessing island resources amidst harvests, tributes and athletic events. The Hawaiians’ management approach, illustrated by a game of kōnane, is fundamentally different from that of their Western counterparts, illustrated by a game of checkers.

“Checkers is an aggressive game … The goal is to consume your opponent’s pieces as fast as you can,” Ka‘ohelauli‘i said. “It’s kind of like a capitalistic approach, right? Earn the resources, make the money, get out of Dodge.”

Kōnane also requires consumption. But successful players eschew “unfettered consumption” in favor of management geared toward long-term sustainability.

“The value of kōnane is needed in the Hawaiian community, in the local community and the global community,” Ka‘ohelauli‘i said. “Because the focus is not on consumption, it’s on sustainability.

“Unless we change the way we think, we’re going to run out of resources, eventually,” he added.

Ka‘ohelauli‘i recently discussed potential avenues of research about the game, plans to write more books and unveil a forthcoming papamū design featuring a labeled grid.

The ability to easily identify spaces by column and row on his “pueo” papamū will simplify education and allow play via text message, email or video conference.

Ka‘ohelauli‘i put down a papamū prototype to share words of wisdom printed on the title page of “Black Book.”

“The only way you can lose in kōnane,” he said, “is not to play.”

Ka‘ohelauli‘i is scheduled to appear at events on Kaua‘i and O‘ahu throughout November and December. For more information, visit hawaiiancheckers.com and follow Ka‘ohelauli‘i on Instagram.