NEW  ZEALAND
FOLK * SONG
Ka Mate

8. What is a haka?
Ka Mate
1. The Ka Mate chant
2. The Ka Mate actions
3. Responding to Ka Mate
4. Historic AB warcries
5. Haka of the 1924 ABs
6. Haka of the 2005 ABs
7. NZ rugby songs
8. What is a haka?
9 Ka Mate's ancient origins
10 Ka Mate to Kikiki
11 Te Rauparaha's haka
12 Te Rauparaha's life
 
 
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"The Haka is a composition played by many instruments. Hands, feet, legs, body, voice, tongue, and eyes all play their part in blending together to convey in their fullness the challenge, welcome, exultation, defiance or contempt."
Armstrong 1964


The haka is a communal posture dance with shouted accompaniment. All performers move as one, with quivering hands, protruding tongues and rolling eyes, while maintaining a very regular beat by foot stamping and hand slaps on the body.


Young people got together on warm evenings to perform haka just as young people in Europe gathered for social dances.

"Singing, or the haka, was the amusement of village maidens and young lads on fine evenings. For this purpose they assembled with flowers and feathers in their hair... Most songs were accompanied with action....

All joined in the chorus, which consisted of a peculiar noise caused by repeated expirations and inspirations, slapping one hand on the breast, holding the other aloft and making it vibrate with great rapidity, and moving the body in indelicate attitudes."

Thompson, 1859


Haka, poi and peruperu were used for welcoming guests at meetings.

The peruperu, a haka perfomed with weapons in hand, was a war dance to demoralise the enemy forces.

"Ere you go forth to fight, display your legs to your women, young folk, and old men in what is termed a war-dance. Your women will never fail to observe the omens of the dance - the correctness of attitudes or mistakes committed.

When your women are seen by you advancing with distorted faces, ...the rising of Tu-te-ihiihi, of Tu-te-wanawana (the war god), you then know that your legs will assail the stars in the heavens and the earth mother below.

But should you commit errors and not deport yourself correctly, then assuredly you will not see your women dancing and grimacing, because apprehension has seized them, for from them comes the blood of the performing men that is to be borne into the fray and poured forth upon the land. So then you are aware that an error has been made in your dancing, therefore be cautious."

Nihoniho, 1913

         

"Display your legs to your women..."


"More than any aspect of Maori culture, this complex dance is an expression of the passion, vigour and identity of the race. Haka is not merely a pastime of the Maori but was also a custom of high social importance in the welcoming and entertainment of visitors. Tribal reputation rose and fell on their ability to perform the haka."

Mahuika, 1972

References

Alan Armstrong, Maori games and hakas (sic) : instructions, words, and actions (A.H. & A.W. Reed, 1964)

Te Hamana Mahuika et al. He Haka Taparahi. Men's ceremonial dance poetry, Editor, Te Kapunga Dewes. (Vict. Univ. of Wgtn, Dept of Anthropology, 1972)

Mervyn McLean, Maori Music (University of Auckland Press 1996)

Tuta Nihoniho, (1850-1914) Nga pakanga ki te tai rawhiti 1865-71 : me nga korero mo uenuku. Narrative of the fighting on the East Coast 1865-71 : with a monograph on bush fighting (Dominion Museum, 1913) Reprinted online

Arthur S. Thomson. Story of New Zealand : past and present - savage and civilized (John Murray, London, 1859)

Edward Tregear, (1846 - 1931) Maori-Polynesian comparative dictionary (Lyon and Blair, Wellington, 1891) Reprinted online

 

Ka Mate webpage written by John Archer. Nov 1999. Revised Jan 2002.
Lost, and reinstalled 13 March 2003. Revised 2006, 2007, 2008
Content divided into eight smaller pages Sept 2008