haka

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The haka is a traditional genre of Māori dance. This picture dates from ca. 1845.

Haka (singular is the same as plural: haka) is the traditional dance form of the Māori of New Zealand. It is a posture dance performed by a group, with vigorous movements and stamping of the feet with rhythmically shouted accompaniment.^[1]

History

Although the use of a haka by the All Blacks rugby union team has made one type of haka familiar, it has led to misconceptions. Haka^[2] 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 (McLean 1996:46-47). War haka (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.

Various actions are employed in the course of a performance, including facial contortions such as showing the whites of the eyes and the poking out of the tongue, and a wide variety of vigorous body actions such as slapping the hands against the body and stamping of the feet. As well as chanted words, a variety of cries and grunts are used. Haka may be understood as a kind of symphony in which the different parts of the body represent many instruments. The hands, arms, legs, feet, voice, eyes, tongue and the body as a whole combine to express courage, annoyance, joy or other feelings relevant to the purpose of the occasion.

Types

Another 19th century depiction of a 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. "Ka Mate" 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).

Gender of participants

Many haka^[which?] are performed exclusively by men which has sometimes led to the misconception that only men may perform haka. However there are a minority of haka which are performed predominantly by women, one of the most well-known women's haka being "Ka Panapana". In many haka though, the female role, if any, is limited to providing support by singing in the background.

Maori Dancers from Kahurangi Maori Dance of New Zealand performing at the Leeming Hangi in Canterbury NH

Mythology

According to Māori mythology, the sun god, Tama-nui-te-rā, had two wives, the Summer Maid, Hine-raumati, and the Winter Maid, Hine-takurua. Haka originated in the coming of Hine-raumati, whose presence on still, hot days was revealed in a quivering appearance in the air. This was the haka of Tāne-rore, the son of Hine-raumati and Tama-nui-te-rā.^[3]

See also

• Haka of the All Blacks
• Haka in popular culture
• Kapa haka
• Kailao
• Māori music
• Siva tau
• Cibi
• Hula

References and notes

• McLean, Mervyn, 1996. Maori music. Auckland: Auckland University Press.
• M. Pōmare, 'Ngāti Toarangatira - Chant composed by Te Rauparaha', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 26-Sep-2006, [1]

External links

• Haka - A New Zealand icon
• Photo of Maori Battalion soldiers performing a haka in Egypt during the Second World War; NZ History.net, New Zealand Ministry of Culture and Heritage
• A HAKA where the women stand in front and perform it while the men sing in the background: (Note: This Kapa Haka consists of two parts and is linked to a video from YouTube.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3z0oRfxFoZc
• A HAKA performed by children (Te Kapa Haka o Manawa Tapu): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1bHFQ98jv0&feature=related
• Here you can grip a first idea of Māori dances: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRpN-lNXOEI&feature=related Please read the explanations on the right first, since it makes it easier to understand the content of the video.
• Haka in An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, edited by A. H. McLintock, originally published in 1966.