8541RB Reading for Me Level 4 Part A

Factual
Kahekili’s Leap
King Kahekili of Maui was not an ordinary man. He ruled Maui until 1794.
He was named after the Hawaiian god of thunder. This god was said to be
black on one side. Kahekili tattooed one side of his body from head to toe
to look like the god.
He was a fierce warrior. It is said that his house was built out of his
fallen enemies’ skeletons.
Kahekili was also famous for lele kawa. Translated to English, this means
‘leaping off cliffs and entering the water feet first without making a
splash’. Early each morning, he would climb up a rock ledge in Kaonolu
and jump 61 metres, feet first into the water below. It was a tricky jump,
because rocks extended at the base of the cliff. It also wasn’t very deep.
There were rocks on the ocean floor. This made it very dangerous. This
didn’t seem to bother Kahekili at all. He survived every jump. He became
a god-like figure among his people.
He decided to test the loyalty and bravery
of his warriors. He forced them to jump
off the cliff and judged their performances.
The smaller the splash, the greater the
warrior.
Lele kawa evolved into a competition in
Hawaii in the years to follow. Judgement
was passed on the style of the dive and
the amount of splash on entry in the
water. It is seen as the oldest extreme
sport in the world. Eventually, the sport
spread to other parts of the world.
Cliff diving takes countless hours of
practice to perfect a dive in a specific
location. It is still considered to be a very
dangerous sport.
Today, Kahekili’s cliff is called Kahekili’s
Leap or Warrior Leap. It is used as a
venue in cliff diving competitions.
Only the most skilled athletes are allowed to take the leap.
King Kahekili will always be remembered for his conquests as a warrior.
He will also be remembered as the father of cliff diving.
80 Reading for Me Level 4 (Part A) 978-1-922843-63-0 R.I.C. Publications ® Prim-Ed Publishing