North Pacific, Hawaiian Islands, Pre-Contact Period, ca. 18th century CE. A collection of 5 stone pieces for playing the traditional game of ulu maika, each hand shaped into discoidal profiles. The 4 largest have a discoid, puck-like shape, and 1 is slightly more rounded and spherical. Ulu maika was an ancient Hawaiian sport similar to modern American bowling, the objective of the game was to roll a stone as close to a pair of wooden stakes as possible, with more points awarded if one was able to rest the stone between the two stakes. The game was traditionally only played by men, and the winners were determined by several factors, including the furthest throw and proximity of the stone to the stakes. Size of largest: 4.75" Diameter (12.1 cm); smallest: 2" Diameter (5.1 cm)

Display stands shown in photos are for photography purposes only.

Provenance: private Newport Beach, California, USA collection

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#141626

Losses and chips to spherical stone piece. Chips and losses to face of second smallest stone. Minor chips to the others. Natural stone pitting on all. Mineral and earthen deposits on the largest stone.