History of the Surf Culture
Surfing in Hawaii is considered the sport of kings, part of local culture, a ritual meant to tame the ocean, and a form of art. When the Europeans settled on the islands, they disapproved the practice as they though the native Hawaiians were being “lazy” since they would rather be in the water than work. During the 19thcentury, the influence on Europeans on the Hawaiian Islands almost led to the extinction of the practice…until Duke Kahanamoku came along.
Duke Kahanamoku (aka The Duke or The Big Kahuna, seen above), born in 1890 (died in 1968) in Honolulu, HI, grew up with surfing in Waikiki and was a three time Olympic swimmer. Known as “The Father of Surfing” He introduced surfing to the mainland in 1914 as well as Australia and New Zealand and continued to popularize the sport until 1935.
In the ‘50s and ‘60s, thanks to mainstream media, surfing became popularized. Most notable were The Beach Boys, creating catchy hooks about surfing and painting an image where surfing was the cool thing.
Additionally, the concept of the “soul surfer” became popularized in the ‘60s, where a surfer travelled the world in search of the “perfect wave”. They would surf for the pleasure while connecting with nature. Usually, the soul surfer would be closer to the water so they would live by the coast and be in the water as much as possible. Unfortunately, society at the time would see them as drug addicts and lazy due to their appearance and desire to be in the water.
Duke Kahanamoku (aka The Duke or The Big Kahuna, seen above), born in 1890 (died in 1968) in Honolulu, HI, grew up with surfing in Waikiki and was a three time Olympic swimmer. Known as “The Father of Surfing” He introduced surfing to the mainland in 1914 as well as Australia and New Zealand and continued to popularize the sport until 1935.
In the ‘50s and ‘60s, thanks to mainstream media, surfing became popularized. Most notable were The Beach Boys, creating catchy hooks about surfing and painting an image where surfing was the cool thing.
Additionally, the concept of the “soul surfer” became popularized in the ‘60s, where a surfer travelled the world in search of the “perfect wave”. They would surf for the pleasure while connecting with nature. Usually, the soul surfer would be closer to the water so they would live by the coast and be in the water as much as possible. Unfortunately, society at the time would see them as drug addicts and lazy due to their appearance and desire to be in the water.
Surf Culture Symbolism
From the European standpoint, Surfing was considered as lazy. So it is theorized Surf culture is an ideology of rejecting capitalism, materialism, and exploring a spiritual existence. It connects a person with the earth, water, and the soul. Basically, it was used as an escape to a hectic lifestyle, work, school, and mainstream culture.
Hawaiian Surf Gangs
Hawaii is filled with beaches and tourism. Surf gangs make sure that locals have a place to surf. There are some gangs that are strictly again foreign surfers. They would say things like, “Locals only”, “Haoles, go home”, and “You don’t live here, you don’t surf here”. They usually come from frustrations that the native surfers experienced: an influx of non-Hawaiian surfers taking spots, non-Hawaiian surfers disrespect on and off the water, surfing competitions that monopolized certain surf areas and excluding Hawaiians, and other issues. However, there are gangs that resort to violence and intimidation. These gangs aren’t new to society either. These gangs go as far as the 1970s with Da Hui (Black Shorts) and with The Wolfpak in 2001.
Da Hui (The Black Shorts)Also called Hui O He’e Nalu (The Club of Wave Riders), this gang formed in 1976 when foreign surfers and the professional surfing contests took away the natives’ surf spots. They were known to paddle into waves during competitions to protest that the spot was closed to them. This gang would also beat up on Australians and South African surfers who disrespected the rules of the water.
They were known for their uniform, black shorts, which is now turned in to a clothing brand and the gang is now focused community outreach. Da Hui is often recognized as one of the first surf gangs to enforce the unwritten rules of surfing in Hawaii. About The Black Shorts |
The WolfpakThis gang was founded in 2001 when co-founder, Kala Alexander moved to Oahu. He saw the popular surfing location, the Banzai Pipeline (AKA the Pipe or Pipeline) had complete disrespect among surfers, putting others in danger. This would include dropping in on other surfers and individuals not knowing their surfing limits.
The gang is notable for violent uses of enforcing respect, gaining notoriety online. From Co-founder Kala Alexander the gang is called Wolfpak is because “we run in a pack, working together. When you mess with one of us, you mess with all of us.” About The Wolfpak |