Games - Kolhii

	Games - Kolhii

In Lego's Bionicle, Kolhii is the most popular Matoran game, being to the Matoran of Mata Nui what Akilini was to the Matoran of Metru Nui.

History of Kolhii

The first game of kolhii on Mata Nui was Onewa and Whenua's idea. It was intended to settle a dispute between Matoran miners and carvers, after a comment from one of the miners about the quality of certain carvings.

The Po-Matoran took exception to the remark and blamed the miners for poor quality stone. The disagreement escalated until rocks, shovels, and hammers started flying between the two camps, forcing the Turaga to step in and put a stop to the conflict.

To resolve it, they devised a competition, according to 10 simple rules. The 11th Rule, or so-called “New Rule,” was established when some fields began to suffer pitch invasions by dangerous Rahi. The rule was further expanded with the Onu-Koro Addendum after an incident involving the local ussalry during a Mounted Crab match.

On Mata Nui, kolhii (or "koli" as it was called then) was originally only played in Po-Koro, and it invloved simply kicking a stone ball into another players' goal post, very much like the Earth sport of football, also known as soccer. There were usually four goals, and hence four players, in each game. Shortly after the arrival of the Toa, a Po-Matoran trader named Ahkmou sold a new kolhii ball called the Comet. Shortly afterwards, a terrible sickness took hold of the Po-Matoran. It was later discovered by Takua the Chronicler that the Comet balls were infected and came fom a Nui-Jaga nest. Takua and Pohatu destroyed the nest and the remaining Comet balls. Ahkmou briefly disappeared after the incident.

During the time of the Bohrok Swarms, the game evolved into what is now called kolhii. Many attribute this changing of the game to an incident that occurred during the Pahrak Invasion of Ga-Koro, when Hewkii used a Ga-Matoran Fishing Staff to save Macku from a falling rock. Since then, players have adopted the use of the kolhii Stick and the rules have been changed to accommodate it.

Kolhii has become a staple of Matoran life, and a great occasion for celebration. Variants of the sport include an Onu-Koro version played on Ussal Crabs and an aerial version played by Le-Matoran flying on Gukko Birds. Many believe it to be a fitting representation of the three virtues. It is particularly important to the Po-Matoran that have become undisputed champions season after season. Pohatu, Toa of Stone, is the patron Toa of kolhii.

Rules of Kolhii

#Teams Number more than one but no more than six. #Teams may include any number of players greater than one, but no team will have more players than any other team. #All teams agree to the number of goals needed for victory. #The first team to reach the number of goals agreed is the winner. #All goals are good goals provided they are not own goals, as own goals are not goals. #Each team is allowed one defender who may carry a shield, but no other player may use that shield (other than in cases of 11th rule). #All players may carry one kolhii staff, and one only! #Any number of kolhii balls may be played, but balls in play must number less than either the number of teams, or the number of players per team, whichever is the smaller number. #Any player who strikes another player did not play well. Shield and staff strikes are excluded from this rule as those indicate the players are playing well. #Any player who does not play well brings dishonor to their village. #Any pitch invasion by rahi, or other beasts, postpones the completion of the game until the problem is dealt with.

The equipment used in the current game of Kolhii are the staffs, shields and balls. The staffs are sticks with a hammer on one end and a hurler on the other. The shields are just that, and are often decorated with a symbol of the team/village. Players are allowed to use these and any part of their bodies, except their hands. Kolhii balls are made from lightweight airstone bound in steel, and are ejected from the middle of the field during the game.

Kolhii teams

After the defeat of the Bohrok-Kal, the Turaga announced a grand Kolhii tournament to celebrate the newfound peace. The Toa and Matoran worked together to erect a great Kolhii stadium near Ta-Koro, where the championship would be held. During this time shortly before the discovery of the Mask of Light, the main six kolhii teams consisted of:

Ta-Koro

Takua (Became Toa of Light)
Jaller (Became 6nd Toa of Fire)

Ga-Koro

Hahli (Became 4th Toa of Water)
Macku

Po-Koro - This team is the undisputed champions of Kohlii

Hewkii (wears Copper Kakama and Became 4th Toa of Stone)
Hafu (wears Copper Ruru)

Onu-Koro - The 4th Toa of Earth is Nuparu who didn't play Kolhii

Onepu
Taipu

Ko-Koro

Matoro (Became 4th Toa of Ice)
Kopeke

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Kolhii ]

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