The highlight of last night's send off party for Mr. Kay was the performance of the Haka as an ode to his heritage, by around 150 boys and men (the entire student body male population, plus the male teachers, and the maintenance and security staff). They were chanting, stomping, and grimacing, sending shivers down the audience's spine--truly spectacular!
The Haka is a traditional Maori war dance from New Zealand--a kind of war chant and challenge. It is now mostly performed by New Zealand's national rugby team, the All Blacks, in front of the opposing team before every match. The All Blacks version of the haka starts with the chant "Ka mate, ka mate "(It is death, it is death"), it is this haka, called Te Rauparaha's Haka (so named after its perceived traditional origins) that most people, particularly rugby union football fans, know as the Haka.
It is characterised by loud chanting, aggressive flailing of arms and stomping of feet, fierce looks and, in the end, an angry sticking out tongues. The All Blacks' version is said to have come from Te Rauparaha (1768-1849), chief of the Ngati Toa tribe and one of New Zealand's last great warrior chiefs. Te Rauparaha cut a swathe from the Waikato to the South Island where his followers killed both European settlers and southern Maori.
His haka is said to have actually originated during a time Te Rauparaha was fleeing from his enemies,. He hid in a sweet potato field one night and by morning awoke to be told by a hairy chief that his enemies had gone. He then performed his victorious haka. "Ka mate, ka mate"
The words of Te Rauparaha's haka (1810) used by the All Blacks:
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.
These words are translated as:
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.
Please click on this You Tube link to experience the real Haka by the All Blacks. Pretty intimidating! If I were the opponent, I would hightail it home faster than you can say, "Haka."
1 comment:
You're right! They are scary! Specially when you're thinking they're not actors ... they must mean to beat the shit out of me!
I think it's great that they keep a tradition alive in modern application.
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