A haka is a traditional dance form of the Māori of New Zealand. It is a posture dance with shouted accompaniment, performed by a group.
Although the use of a haka by the All Blacks has made one type of haka familiar, it has led to misconceptions. Haka are not exclusively war dances, nor are they only performed by men. Some are performed by women, others by mixed groups, and some simple haka are performed by children. Haka are performed for various reasons: for amusement, as a hearty welcome to distinguished guests, or to acknowledge great achievements or occasions.
War haka, which had their own term, 'peruperu' were originally performed by warriors before a battle, proclaiming their strength and prowess in order to intimidate the opposition. Today, haka constitute an integral part of formal or official welcome ceremonies for distinguished visitors or foreign dignitaries, serving to impart a sense of the importance of the occasion.
ALL BLACKS - HAKA VIDEO
"Ka Mate" is the most widely known haka in New Zealand and elsewhere because it has traditionally been performed by the All Blacks, New Zealand's international rugby union team, immediately prior to test (international) matches. Since 2005 the All Blacks have occasionally performed another haka, "Kapa o Pango".
The "Ka Mate" haka generally opens with a set of five preparatory instructions shouted by the leader, before the whole team joins in:
| Leader: | Ringa pakia! | Slap the hands against the thighs! | |
| Uma tiraha! | Puff out the chest! | ||
| Turi whatia! | Bend the knees! | ||
| Hope whai ake! | Let the hip follow! | ||
| Waewae takahia kia kino! | Stamp the feet as hard as you can! | ||
| Leader: | Ka mate, ka mate | 'Tis death, 'tis death (or: I die) | |
| Team: | Ka ora | 'Tis life, 'tis life (or: I live) | |
| Leader: | Ka mate, ka mate | 'Tis death, 'tis death | |
| Team: | Ka ora | 'Tis life, 'tis life | |
| All: | Tēnei te tangata pūhuruhuru | This hairy man | |
| Nāna nei i tiki mai whakawhiti te rā | ...who brought the sun and caused it to shine | ||
| Ā hupane, ka upane | A step upward, another step upward | ||
| Ā hupane, ka upane | A step upward, another step upward | ||
| Whiti te rā, hī! | The sun shines! |
| Kapa o Pango kia whakawhenua au i ahau! | All Blacks, let me become one with the land | |
| Hī aue, hī! | do one | |
| Ko Aotearoa e ngunguru nei! | This is our land that rumbles | |
| Au, au, aue hā! | It’s my time! It’s my moment! | |
| Ko Kapa o Pango e ngunguru nei! | This defines us as the All Blacks | |
| Au, au, aue hā! | It’s my time! It’s my moment! | |
| I āhahā! | ||
| Ka tū te ihiihi | Our dominance | |
| Ka tū te wanawana | Our supremacy will triumph | |
| Ki runga ki te rangi e tū iho nei, tū iho nei, hī! | And be placed on high | |
| Ponga rā! | Silver fern! | |
| Kapa o Pango, aue hī! | All Blacks! | |
| Ponga rā! | Silver fern! | |
| Kapa o Pango, aue hī, hā! | All Blacks! |
Ka Mate
"Ka Mate" is a Māori haka composed by Te Rauparaha, war leader of the Ngāti Toa tribe of the North Island of New Zealand. Te Rauparaha composed Ka Mate as a celebration of life over death (Pōmare 2006) after his lucky escape from pursuing Ngati Maniapoto and Waikato enemies. He had hidden from them in a food-storage pit, and climbed back into the light to be met by a chief friendly to him - Te Whareangi (the "hairy man").
Types of haka
The various types of haka include whakatu waewae, tutu ngarahu and peruperu. The peruperu is characterised by leaps during which the legs are pressed under the body. In former times, the peruperu was performed before a battle in order to invoke the god of war and to discourage and frighten the enemy. It involved fierce facial expressions and grimaces, poking out of the tongue, eye bulging, grunts and cries, and the waving of weapons. If the haka was not performed in total unison, this was regarded as a bad omen for the battle. Often, warriors went naked into battle, apart from a plaited flax belt around the waist. The aim of the warriors was to kill all the members of the enemy war party, so that no survivors would remain to undertake revenge.
The tutu ngarahu also involves jumping, but from side to side, while in the whakatu waewae no jumping occurs. Another kind of haka performed without weapons is the ngeri, the purpose of which was to motivate the warriors psychologically. The movements are very free, and each performer is expected to be expressive of their feelings. Manawa wera haka were generally associated with funerals or other occasions involving death. Like the ngeri they were performed without weapons, and there was little or no choreographed movement.
The most well-known haka is "Ka Mate", attributed to Te Rauparaha, war leader of the Ngāti Toa tribe. The Ka Mate haka is classified as a "Haka Taparahi" - a ceremonial haka. The "Ka Mate" haka is about the cunning ruse Te Rauparaha used to outwit his enemies, and may be interpreted as 'a celebration of the triumph of life over death' (Pōmare 2006).
The Haka - New Zealand Vs Tonga
