B2.2.3 New Zealand People: The Haka
Description
This article is from the New Zealand FAQ, by Phil Stuart-Jones and Lin Nah with numerous contributions by others.
B2.2.3 New Zealand People: The Haka
Non-Kiwis are often baffled by the 'dance' performed by [predominately
sports] groups before matches or events. The following outline is a reply
from Mac Lynch to such a question.
"What you most likely saw was a haka - a preliminary to a fight between
Maori tribes, the painted faces represent the original tattoos. The haka
was a challenge to the opposing tribe who may have responded in a similar
way. The words are chanted loudly (shouted) in a menacing way accompanied
by arm actions and foot stamping.
The All Black rugby team and subsequently other touring sports teams have
adopted a haka that was originally used by Te Rauparaha (a particularly
notorious warlike chief of the Ngati Toa tribe) and is only one of many
hakas which exist throughout New Zealand. Te Rauparaha, originally from
Taranaki, raided various parts of NZ in the early 19th Century settling
eventually on Kapiti Island near Wellington. There is currently some
controversy about the appropriateness of the use of this haka in the South
Island where the Maoris suffered particularly under Te Rauparaha.
Here are the words and a translation of Te Rauparaha's haka. The
Maori pronunciation is basically one vowel per syllable, with the
vowels having the European rather than English sound (see section
B2.2.2 for more on pronunciation).
Ka mate, ka mate
Ka ora, ka ora
Ka mate, ka mate
Ka ora, ka ora
Tenei te tangata puhuruhuru
Nana i tiki mai whakawhiti te ra
Upane, upane
Upane kaupane
Whiti te ra
It is death, it is death
It is life, it is life
It is death, it is death
It is life, it is life
This is the hairy man
Who caused the sun to shine again for me
Up the ladder, up the ladder
Up to the top
The sun shines!
As for what it all means, about 140 years ago, Te Rauparaha was being
chased by his enemies. He hid in a kumara pit (the local sweet
potato) and waited in the dark for his pursuers to find him. He heard
sounds above and thought he was done for when the top of the pit was
opened up and sunshine flooded in. He was blinded and struggled to
see those about to slay him, when his sight cleared and he instead saw
the hairy legs of the local chief (reputed to have been exceptionally
hirsute) who had hid him. Te Rauparaha is said to have jumped from
the pit and performed this haka on the spot, he was so happy to have
escaped. Undoubtedly, he also had in his mind to do a little pursuing
of his own - being that way inclined."
People may also wish to look at:
http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~jmgeorge/nzsongs.html#now
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