Since I am still unable to spin fire for another few days I have decided to put together a post detailing the history of poi and where it came from. Next week I should be allowed to spin again, though only for short periods of time. This has honestly been one of the biggest frustrations of the entire heart attack experience as my shiny and flammable new staff arrived the day after I went into the hospital. When my post heart attack checkup came around I was told to extend my no exertion restrictions by an additional two weeks. Which sucks. Anyways, on to where Poi comes from!
Poi originates from the Maori of New Zealand. The word “poi” translates to “ball” so it is quite literally a “ball dance”. Not a formal dance with gowns, but a dance done with balls attached to chain or rope that are swung artfully on a persons hands. Poi beyond the Maori culture is not uncommon, but is a relatively new development. Its also quite different than traditional Maori poi dancing. While the poi dance was traditionally done by women, it also served a purpose with the males of their culture. For the women, poi ensured their hands stayed nimble for weaving. Men used poi to increase the strength and agility of their arms and hands, increase their sense of balance, and fine tune their and dexterity and coordination for battle and hunting. So though its often believed that poi, like capoiera, is a type of dance fighting, it was not used for combat itself, but as cardio training.
Prior to the Maori using poi for agility training there is evidence it was used in Polynesia, though not tied to string. The origins come from Samoa, and involved a variety of ball games, usually performed with oranges, fruit of the candlenut tree, or smooth round rocks. In Taranaki poi was considered to be part of a spiritual journey as the poi were juggled they traveled around the world, traversing a variety of landscape with the different moves and gestures made with them. It was this style that made its way to New Zealand and was adapted by the Maori to add them to the ends of cords.
Poi has shifted a little bit from its Maori beginnings, though if you go to New Zealand it is experiencing a resurgence of importance as they are pushing to regain their culture. Branching out of the Maori traditions was largely the cause of tropical resorts. Someone at one point decided that poi is cool, but doing poi with fire would make an excellent tourist attraction. As poi left the Maori culture it was adapted and adjusted. Since it is highly dance based there are now dozens of different ways to learn and perform any given piece of the routine. I am not endeavouring to learn those aspects of it just yet, particularly since my sense of rhythm is crap, but who knows where I will take this skill as I get more efficient with it.
As poi shifted from New Zealand and moved outwards it shifted from a simple weighted ball to more elaborate and decorative methods. Maori women fashioned their poi from cords they made themselves out of flax leaves, a weighted ball made fro Rauop (a wetland plant) and cornhusks, around a pit. In new locals flags and streamers were attached to the poi, people decided to light them on fire, and eventually LED poi were developed. Then the people performing it took in their experiences with dancing, gymnastics, juggling, and staff work to make it more unique as they tried to lure people in. To date, no one is sure who first decided to light poi on fire, nor where the first staff poi originated from. But those are elements that are commonly associated with poi now.
My own choices in the realm of poi come from from a desire to learn the staff end of things, though I will likely pick up some of the original ball dance style of poi as well along the way. Its good cardio, and post heart attack I am supposed to get moderate levels of exercise every day. So once I am cleared to started exerting myself, I think this should be a good long term skill for me to learn that will encourage me to stay active and healthy. Its a showy skill to have, which is really not my usual wheelhouse, but I do like fire. I’m also a fan of the LED staves, but those are certainly beyond my price range right now.
Information for the above was gained from:
https://kvikpoi.wordpress.com/2013/05/30/history-of-poi/
https://playpoi.com/about-poi/
http://folksong.org.nz/pakete_whero/poi_slideshow/index.html
And because this is just a lot of fun to watch, here is a nifty clip of someone doing Maori style poi, but lit on fire.
