Since ancient times among the Native Hawaiians, the appointed "kahuna" (priest) laid an offering of fish, said prayers, and performed other religious rites by a tree before it was felled to make a board. The Hawaiians believed that the trees they made their surfboards ("papa hee nalu") from had souls ("uhane"). The trunks of koa trees were used by the ancient Hawaiians to build their surfboards. Their "pae poo" (bodyboards) as well as "kikoo" and "alaia" surfboards were made from koa; however, "olo", the longest and heaviest surfboards, were made from the lighter and more buoyant wood of the "wiliwili", and were used exclusively by the nobility.