Sliding

Sliding (fa'ase'enga) without apparatus is indulged in. Rocks worn smooth by streams are used by bathers who slide over a short fall into a pool below. Sliding on the flat is a pastime at Taputimu, Tutuila, where there is a very slippery smooth strip on the rock stratum of the nearby coast. Various figures are indulged in, as sliding sideways, backwards, crouched, jumping over prone figures, and a tug-of-war between parties seated on the slippery rock. Two forms of sliding used an appliance.

page 553

Tobogganing. A course was sometimes made on a down slope with pieces of lapalapa or coconut leaf midrib laid across the course and set into the ground. Another piece of midrib from the butt end was used as a toboggan. Sitting astride of the curved part, one end was held in the hands land the primitive toboggan coursed down hill over the transverse pieces on the course. Nothing in the way of dubbing a toboggan out of wood was known. No name in particular was given to the sport beyond fa' ase' enga.

Surf riding. Surf boards made from the sides of old paopao or bonito canoes were used. The length was measured from the finger tips to the breast and cut off. They were used in this position. No elaborate long ones were used, and standing on the board was never attempted as its small size was against such attempts. Surf riding was also known as fa' ase' enga.