Haka of the All Blacks
Encyclopedia
The Haka
is a traditional Maori war dance from New Zealand. There are thousands of Haka that are performed by various tribes and cultural groups throughout New Zealand. The best known Haka of them all is called "Ka Mate". It has been performed by countless New Zealand teams both locally and internationally. It is normally performed immediately prior to the event that is to take place: e.g. sports matches, conferences, VIP functions, hui
, etc
It was adopted by the New Zealand national rugby union team and has been performed by them at every local and international match since 1905. Over the years they have most commonly performed the haka "Ka Mate
". In the early decades of international rugby, they sometimes performed other haka, some of which were composed for specific tours. Since 2005 they have occasionally performed a new haka, "Kapa o Pango". The performance of the haka has been called "the greatest ritual in world sport."
Haka are also performed by some other New Zealand national teams, such as the Kiwis
(rugby league), the Tall Blacks
(men's basketball), the Ice Blacks (men's ice hockey) and Lacrosse team - as well as some non-New Zealand sports teams.
, Australia
, in 1884, performed "a Maori war cry" or haka before each of its matches.
During 1888-89, the New Zealand Native team
toured the Home Nations
of the United Kingdom
, the first team from a colony to do so. It was originally intended that only Māori players would be selected, but four non Māori were finally included. As the non Māori were born in New Zealand, the name "Native" was considered justified. The team performed a haka before the start of their first match on 3 October 1888 against Surrey. They were described as using the words "Ake ake kia kaha" which suggests that the haka was not "Ka Mate". It was intended that before each match they would perform the haka dressed in traditional Māori costume but the costumes were soon discarded.
The Ka Mate haka was not well known at this time. In 1900, a newspaper reported New Zealand soldiers in the Boer War chanting "Ka Mate! Ka Mate! Ka ora! Ka ora! Hae-haea! Ha!" The soldiers thought it meant "Kill him! Chop him up! Baste him!"
But during the 1901 Royal Tour, Ngati Kahungunu warriors revived Ka Mate when they performed it to welcome the Duke of Cornwall at Rotorua. Newspapers described the full actions of this "ancient ngeri," printing its complete Maori words and an accurate translation. A movie cameraman recorded the performance. Ka Mate became famous, and was widely performed throughout New Zealand.
Nevertheless, when, New Zealand played its first full international test match against Australia in Sydney
in August 1903, the New Zealanders' warcry was "Tena Koe Kangaroo." (full details below)
In 1905 New Zealand made their first tour of Britain. This was the first time the team were referred to as the All Blacks and this particular team also became known as the 'Originals
'. It is uncertain whether they performed a haka before every match, but they at least performed "Ka Mate" before their first test, against Scotland
, and before the match against Wales
. The Welsh crowd, led by the Welsh team, responded by singing the Welsh national anthem.
When a New Zealand Army team played Wales in 1916, the words of "Ka Mate" were included in the printed programme, indicating that the haka was established as an accompaniment to New Zealand rugby teams playing overseas.
The 1924-25 New Zealand rugby team which toured the United Kingdom, Ireland
, France
and Canada
and which was nicknamed the Invincibles
, performed a haka that was written for them during the voyage to England by two supporters, Judge Frank Acheson of the Native Land Court and Wiremu Rangi of Gisborne. The haka was led by star player George Nepia
. It was performed before all but two of the tour matches. Reporters criticized the team for disappointing the crowd on the two occasions it was not performed.
A pre-match haka was not always performed on All Blacks tours. The team that toured Britain in 1935-36 did not perform one before matches, although they did some impromptu performances at social functions. In the early decades, haka were only rarely performed at home matches, such as the third test of the 1921 Springboks
tour, played in Wellington
.
" haka in 1906.
This haka is commonly said to have been composed by Te Rauparaha
of Ngāti Toa
to commemorate his escape from death during an incident in 1810. Chased by his enemies he hid in a food-storage pit under the skirt of a woman. He climbed out to find someone standing over him, who, instead of killing Te Rauparaha, turned out to be another chief friendly to him. In relief, Te Rauparaha performed this ancient haka, which had been performed all through Aotearoa for centuries (Ko Nga Moteatea, 1853). The story of Te Rauparaha was merely woven into several older stories about this haka.
before the whole team joins in:
The Post's rugby correspondent later reported that the war-cry was first practiced by the New Zealand team in mid-Tasman on Monday 13 July, and first performed "in response to several calls" at their official reception at Sydney on Thursday.
The New Zealanders played ten matches on the tour (won 10, lost 0, points for 276, points against 13). Presumably the warcry was performed before all their matches although a search in PapersPast (paperspast.natlib.govt.nz) only located its use on 29 July 1903 before the New Zealand v Metropolitan Union match at Sydney (Taranaki Herald, 30 July 1903).
Newspaper reports of early games spoke of the weird war cry of the visitors in response to the crowds' singing. Thus the fifth game at Swansea began with 40,000 waiting Welshmen singing Cwm Rhondda
, Sospan Fach
, Land of My Fathers
and then God Save the Queen
, to which the All Blacks responded with a weird chant led by Nepia.
But as fame of their unbeaten status spread, so did the status of their haka. At the beginning of their 22nd game in Wales at Llanelli, we read
Source, The Triumphant Tour! : the All Blacks in England, Ireland and Wales, 1924-1925. This rugby treasure is mostly reprints of extensive newspaper reports of each match of the tour.
heard this haka performed at the Invincibles
' match at Paris in January 1925. He modified some of the words and used them in his word-play novel Finnegans Wake
.
match against South Africa on August 28, 2005 at Carisbrook
in Dunedin
, the All Blacks unexpectedly introduced a new haka, "Kapa o Pango". It featured an extended and aggressive introduction by team captain Tana Umaga
and was highlighted by its more aggressive climax, a drawing of the thumb down the throat. This was interpreted by many as a "throat-slitting" action directed at the opposing team. The All Blacks went on to win the match 31 to 27.
The words to "Kapa o Pango" are more specific to the rugby team than "Ka Mate", referring to the warriors in black and the silver fern. http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/waikatotimes/0,2106,3391883a6648,00.html
The new haka was developed by Derek Lardelli of Ngāti Porou
by modifying the first verse of "Ko Niu Tirini," the haka used by the 1924 All Blacks. An NZRU press release stated that
However, the NZRU failed to acknowledge their debt to the creativity and mana of members of the 1924 Invincibles, and the high status that the Invincibles' haka had attained by the end of 1925 was damaged by the public-relations disaster during the haka's 2005 re-incarnation.
John Smit
, the Springbok captain who faced the debut performance of "Kapa o Pango", said after the match: "To stand there and watch it for the first time was a privilege." The Daily Telegraph
columnist Mick Cleary criticised the new haka as "unmistakeably [sic] provocative … There is a fine line and the All Blacks crossed it. Carisbrook is a rugby field not a back-street alley." French
coach Bernard Laporte
requested New Zealand not to perform "Kapa o Pango" during their November, 2006 tour of France, claiming that "It's no good for the promotion of our sport."
The All Blacks opted not to perform "Kapa o Pango" in their opening test of 2006 against . It was requested that they perform their usual Ka Mate haka while a review was conducted into "Kapa o Pango". The throat-slitting action at the end of "Kapa o Pango" had drawn many complaints in the lead-up to the Irish test, with members of the public complaining about it to the NZRU. The NZRU said that it was not because of public pressure that it was not performed against Ireland.http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3694383a1823,00.html
In the run-up to the first All Blacks Test of the 2006 Tri Nations
at Jade Stadium
in Christchurch
against , the NZRU completed their review, and concluded that the gesture had a radically different meaning within Māori culture and haka traditions, indicating the drawing of "hauora", the breath of life into the heart and lungs. http://www.planet-rugby.com/News/story_52333.shtml And so "Kapa o Pango" was performed, complete with the final gesture, before the Australia test.
Despite this, the controversial gesture was withdrawn in 2007, with a modified action (raking the right arm from the left hip to over the right shoulder) performed in the challenge when "Kapa o Pango" was performed in test matches against France and South Africa. During the 2008 Tri Nations series, the All Blacks appear to have reverted to the original action of drawing the hand across the throat.
On the 24th September 2011, for their Pool A
match against France at Eden Park
, the All Blacks performed the Kapa o Pango, which included the act of slitting the throat at the end. The French had ousted New Zealand at the 2007 World Cup
. It had since been a fixture since the knockout stages against Argentina and Australia.
The haka, while normally enjoyed by spectators, has been criticised as an unsporting attempt to intimidate the opposition before the match begins. However, most teams accept that the haka is part of rugby's heritage and face up to the All Blacks during its performance, with both teams standing about 10 metres apart. The 2007 Portuguese Rugby team Captain Vasco Uva
said of the haka that "[We] faced it, gave it the respect it deserved and it gave us motivation and we knew if it gave them strength, it was also a point of strength for us."
Ignoring the haka is a tactic sometimes used by opposing teams. Famously, the Australian rugby team
did a warm up drill well away from the All Blacks during their 1996 Test Match in Wellington
. More recently, the Italian rugby team
ignored the haka during a 2007 World Cup Pool Match. All Black team member, Keven Mealamu
, said later that in his opinion the snub had backfired and provided motivation to his team.
Australian back David Campese
often ignored the haka, most notably in the 1991 World Cup
semi-final, when he chose to practice warm-up drills instead of facing the All-Blacks.
In 1989, as the All Blacks were performing the haka in Landsdowne Road before playing Ireland, the Irish lined up to facing New Zealand and then edged closer and closer to the All Blacks. By the time the end of the haka came, captain Willie Anderson was only inches from Buck Shelford's face.
One of the best-known responses to the haka occurred during the 1995 Rugby World Cup Final at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, South Africa. The Springboks, led by captain Francois Pienaar defiantly faced the haka by striding towards the All Blacks as they performed the dance. By the end of the haka, the Springboks were a metre from the All Blacks team staring them down.
In 1997, Richard Cockerill
was disciplined for responding to the haka before the start of an England
vs. All Blacks
game. Cockerill went toe-to-toe with his opposite number Norm Hewitt while they performed the haka. The referee became so concerned that Hewitt and Cockerill would begin fighting that he pushed Cockerill away from Hewitt. Cockerill went on to say afterwards "I believe that I did the right thing that day," he said. "They were throwing down a challenge and I showed them I was ready to accept it. I'm sure they would rather we did that than walk away."
At the 1999 Bledisloe Cup match at Telstra Stadium, Sydney, 107,000 voices sang Waltzing Matilda
as a response to the New Zealand haka. The Australian players responded by delivering New Zealand a record 28-7 defeat, culminating in the cup being retained by Australia.
In 2005, the All Blacks agreed to a request from the Welsh Rugby Union
to repeat the sequence of events from the original match a century before in 1905. This involved the All Blacks performing the haka after "God Defend New Zealand
" and before "Hen Wlad fy Nhadau
". For the November 2006 test, the Welsh Rugby Union demanded a repeat of this sequence. The All Blacks refused, and instead chose to perform the haka in their changing room before the match. All Blacks captain Richie McCaw
defended the decision by stating that the haka was "integral to New Zealand culture and the All Blacks' heritage" and "if the other team wants to mess around, we'll just do the haka in the shed". The crowd reacted negatively to the lack of the haka and then being shown brief footage of the haka on the screens at the Millennium Stadium
.
In 2006, the Seven Network
TV channel in Australia used digital enhancement to add handbags to video of New Zealand rugby players performing the haka. This was inspired by an incident when former All Black captain Tana Umaga
struck Hurricanes
team mate Chris Masoe
over the head with a woman's handbag after the Super 14 final
. All Blacks assistant coach Wayne Smith
criticised the advertisement, saying "It is insensitive, I think, to Māori and disrespectful of the All Blacks".
In the Autumn International against England in 2010, the Haka was drowned out by the English fans singing "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
". England were subsequently beaten by the All Blacks 16-26.
The "Kapa o Pango" haka created controversy when the gesture of a thumb drawn down the throat was interpreted by many observers as implying throat slitting. The All Blacks and Māori interpreted it as drawing the breath of life into the heart and lungs ("hauora"). This led to calls for it to be banned, although a poll conducted in July 2006 showed 60 percent support in New Zealand. During Ireland
's tour of New Zealand
, the NZRU
put the haka on a temporary hiatus, to review its appropriateness, by asking the All Blacks not to perform it against Ireland.
In the 2007 Rugby World Cup quarter-finals, France, after having won the coin toss for the choice of uniforms, famously wore the blue/white/red of the French flag and walked up to within a metre of the haka performance, forming a line of opposition to the performance by the All-Blacks, who were wearing a predominantly silver uniform (as opposed to the traditional all black). France went on to beat the All-Blacks 20-18.
In the 2008 Rugby Autumn Tests, Wales responded to the haka by standing on the pitch refusing to move until the All Blacks did. This resulted in the referee Jonathan Kaplan berating both teams for a full two minutes after the haka had ended until eventually New Zealand captain McCaw instructed his team to break off. After a spirited first half display which ended with Wales leading 9 - 6, the All Blacks responded positively and won the game 9 - 29.
Following the final of the 2011 World Cup, the French national team was fined by the IRB for marching to within 10 meters of their All Black opponents during the performance of the haka.
, performing it before every game. It is also performed by the Australian rules football team
and Tall Blacks
. The New Zealand Māori
have performed the 'Timatanga' haka since 2001. When Munster
hosted the All Blacks at Thomond Park
in November 2008, the four New Zealand players in the Munster
team performed their own haka prior to the All Blacks. In the documentary Murderball, the New Zealand paralympic rugby team can be seen performing a modified version of the haka.
At the opening parade of the 2002 Commonwealth Games
in Manchester
, the New Zealand team
stopped in front of the Queen and performed a haka.
New Zealand teams have attracted some criticism for performing the haka,
on occasions such as winning a swim relay bronze medal.
In 2009, Ice Blacks did their haka before their ice hockey match against Australia.
The high-profile of the All Blacks, and their use of the haka has led to other Pacific teams to use similar dances from their own cultures, such as the Cibi
, Kailao
, and Siva tau
. Other teams from the Pacific and elsewhere however have performed the Ka Mate
or Kapa O Pango haka. For instance, the "Kapa O Pango" haka was used by the University of Hawaii Warriors
in 2006, before they created their own war dance, the "Haa", in the Hawaiian language with original movements.
The Black Sticks, the (field) hockey team, also perform a haka.
Haka
Haka is a traditional ancestral war cry, dance or challenge from the Māori people of New Zealand. It is a posture dance performed by a group, with vigorous movements and stamping of the feet with rhythmically shouted accompaniment...
is a traditional Maori war dance from New Zealand. There are thousands of Haka that are performed by various tribes and cultural groups throughout New Zealand. The best known Haka of them all is called "Ka Mate". It has been performed by countless New Zealand teams both locally and internationally. It is normally performed immediately prior to the event that is to take place: e.g. sports matches, conferences, VIP functions, hui
Hui (Maori assembly)
A hui is a New Zealand term for a social gathering or assembly.Originally a Māori language word, it was used by Europeans as early as 1846 when referring to Māori gatherings - but is now increasingly used in New Zealand English to describe events that are not exclusively Māori....
, etc
It was adopted by the New Zealand national rugby union team and has been performed by them at every local and international match since 1905. Over the years they have most commonly performed the haka "Ka Mate
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.-The creation and composition of Ka Mate:...
". In the early decades of international rugby, they sometimes performed other haka, some of which were composed for specific tours. Since 2005 they have occasionally performed a new haka, "Kapa o Pango". The performance of the haka has been called "the greatest ritual in world sport."
New Zealand national rugby league team
The New Zealand national rugby league team has represented New Zealand in rugby league football since intercontinental competition began for the sport in 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the native bird of that name...
(rugby league), the Tall Blacks
New Zealand national basketball team
The New Zealand national basketball team represents New Zealand in international basketball competitions. It is nicknamed the Tall Blacks, derived from the name of New Zealand's Rugby union team, the All Blacks.-History:...
(men's basketball), the Ice Blacks (men's ice hockey) and Lacrosse team - as well as some non-New Zealand sports teams.
History
The first New Zealand rugby team to tour overseas, playing eight matches in New South WalesNew South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, in 1884, performed "a Maori war cry" or haka before each of its matches.
During 1888-89, the New Zealand Native team
1888-1889 New Zealand Native football team
The 1888–1889 New Zealand Native football team was a New Zealand football team that toured Britain, Australia and New Zealand in 1888 and 1889. The team was composed mainly of players of Māori ancestry, although several Pakeha were included in the squad. The tour was a private endeavour, and was...
toured the Home Nations
Home Nations
Home Nations is a collective term with one of two meanings depending on the context. Politically, it means the nations of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom...
of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, the first team from a colony to do so. It was originally intended that only Māori players would be selected, but four non Māori were finally included. As the non Māori were born in New Zealand, the name "Native" was considered justified. The team performed a haka before the start of their first match on 3 October 1888 against Surrey. They were described as using the words "Ake ake kia kaha" which suggests that the haka was not "Ka Mate". It was intended that before each match they would perform the haka dressed in traditional Māori costume but the costumes were soon discarded.
The Ka Mate haka was not well known at this time. In 1900, a newspaper reported New Zealand soldiers in the Boer War chanting "Ka Mate! Ka Mate! Ka ora! Ka ora! Hae-haea! Ha!" The soldiers thought it meant "Kill him! Chop him up! Baste him!"
But during the 1901 Royal Tour, Ngati Kahungunu warriors revived Ka Mate when they performed it to welcome the Duke of Cornwall at Rotorua. Newspapers described the full actions of this "ancient ngeri," printing its complete Maori words and an accurate translation. A movie cameraman recorded the performance. Ka Mate became famous, and was widely performed throughout New Zealand.
Nevertheless, when, New Zealand played its first full international test match against Australia in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
in August 1903, the New Zealanders' warcry was "Tena Koe Kangaroo." (full details below)
In 1905 New Zealand made their first tour of Britain. This was the first time the team were referred to as the All Blacks and this particular team also became known as the 'Originals
The Original All Blacks (1905)
The Original All Blacks were the first New Zealand national rugby union team to tour outside Australasia. They toured the British Isles, France and the United States of America during 1905–1906. Their opening game was against Devon on 16 September 1905 whom they defeated 55–4...
'. It is uncertain whether they performed a haka before every match, but they at least performed "Ka Mate" before their first test, against Scotland
Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
, and before the match against Wales
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
. The Welsh crowd, led by the Welsh team, responded by singing the Welsh national anthem.
When a New Zealand Army team played Wales in 1916, the words of "Ka Mate" were included in the printed programme, indicating that the haka was established as an accompaniment to New Zealand rugby teams playing overseas.
The 1924-25 New Zealand rugby team which toured the United Kingdom, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and which was nicknamed the Invincibles
The Invincibles (rugby union)
The Invincibles was a nickname given to the 1924-25 New Zealand rugby union team which toured the United Kingdom, Ireland, France and Canada. The team was captained by Cliff Porter, and numbered among its top players George Nepia and brothers Cyril and Maurice Brownlie.Between September 1924 and...
, performed a haka that was written for them during the voyage to England by two supporters, Judge Frank Acheson of the Native Land Court and Wiremu Rangi of Gisborne. The haka was led by star player George Nepia
George Nepia
George Nepia was a Māori rugby union and rugby league player. He is remembered as an exceptional full-back and one of the most famous Māori rugby players. He was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame in 1990. In 2004 he was selected as number 65 by the panel of the New Zealand's Top...
. It was performed before all but two of the tour matches. Reporters criticized the team for disappointing the crowd on the two occasions it was not performed.
A pre-match haka was not always performed on All Blacks tours. The team that toured Britain in 1935-36 did not perform one before matches, although they did some impromptu performances at social functions. In the early decades, haka were only rarely performed at home matches, such as the third test of the 1921 Springboks
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
tour, played in Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
.
"Ka Mate"
The All Blacks are believed to have first used the "Ka MateKa 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.-The creation and composition of Ka Mate:...
" haka in 1906.
This haka is commonly said to have been composed by Te Rauparaha
Te Rauparaha
Te Rauparaha was a Māori rangatira and war leader of the Ngāti Toa tribe who took a leading part in the Musket Wars. He was influential in the original sale of conquered Rangitane land to the New Zealand Company and was a participant in the Wairau Incident in Marlborough...
of Ngāti Toa
Ngati Toa
Ngāti Toa , an iwi , traces its descent from the eponymous ancestor Toarangatira. The Ngāti Toa region extends from Miria-te-kakara at Rangitikei to Wellington, and across Cook Strait to Wairau and Nelson....
to commemorate his escape from death during an incident in 1810. Chased by his enemies he hid in a food-storage pit under the skirt of a woman. He climbed out to find someone standing over him, who, instead of killing Te Rauparaha, turned out to be another chief friendly to him. In relief, Te Rauparaha performed this ancient haka, which had been performed all through Aotearoa for centuries (Ko Nga Moteatea, 1853). The story of Te Rauparaha was merely woven into several older stories about this haka.
Performance
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! | Stomp the feet as hard as you can! | ||
| Leader: | Ka mate, ka mate | 'I die, I die, | |
| Team: | Ka ora' Ka ora' | 'I live, 'I live, | |
| Leader: | Ka mate, ka mate | 'I die, 'I die | |
| Team: | Ka ora Ka ora " | 'I live, 'I live, | |
| All: | Tēnei te tangata pūhuruhuru | This is the hairy man | |
| Nāna i tiki mai whakawhiti te rā | ...Who caused the sun to shine again for me | ||
| A Upane! Ka Upane! | Up the ladder, Up the ladder | ||
| Upane Kaupane" | Up to the top | ||
| Whiti te rā,! | The sun shines! | ||
| Hī! | Rise! |
"Tena Koe Kangaroo" 1903
Early in July 1903, when the New Zealand players were assembling in Wellington for their Australian tour, the Evening Post reported that... A unique souvenir has been prepared for the New Zealand team by Mr C. Parata. It contains the following warcry| Tena koe, Kangaroo | How are you, Kangaroo! |
| Tupoto koe, Kangaroo! | You look out, Kangaroo! |
| Niu Tireni tenei haere nei | New Zealand is invading you |
| Au Au Aue a! | Woe woe woe to you! |
The Post's rugby correspondent later reported that the war-cry was first practiced by the New Zealand team in mid-Tasman on Monday 13 July, and first performed "in response to several calls" at their official reception at Sydney on Thursday.
The New Zealanders played ten matches on the tour (won 10, lost 0, points for 276, points against 13). Presumably the warcry was performed before all their matches although a search in PapersPast (paperspast.natlib.govt.nz) only located its use on 29 July 1903 before the New Zealand v Metropolitan Union match at Sydney (Taranaki Herald, 30 July 1903).
"Ko Niu Tireni" 1924
The Invincibles performed this haka during their unbeaten 1924-1925 tour. It was written during their voyage to England by Wiremu Rangi of Gisborne, and polished up by Judge Acheson of the Native Land Court. It had two verses, but the second verse (Put a few of your famous teams on display, and let's play each other in friendship) was omitted in later matches.First verse of Ko Niu Tireni, with a 1925 translation
| Kia whakangawari au i a hau | Let us prepare ourselves for the fray |
| I au-e! Hei! | (The sound of being ready) |
| Ko Niu Tireni e haruru nei! | The New Zealand storm is about to break |
| Au, Au, aue hā! Hei! | (The sound of the imminent storm.) |
| Ko Niu Tireni e haruru nei! | The New Zealand storm waxes fiercer |
| Au, Au, aue hā! Hei! | (Sounds of The height of the storm.) |
| A ha-ha! | |
| Ka tū te ihiihi | We shall stand fearless |
| Ka tū te wanawana | We shall stand exalted in spirit |
| Ki runga ki te rangi, | We shall climb to the heavens |
| E tū iho nei, tū iho nei, hī! | We shall attain the zenith the utmost heights. |
| Au! Au! Au! |
Newspaper reports of early games spoke of the weird war cry of the visitors in response to the crowds' singing. Thus the fifth game at Swansea began with 40,000 waiting Welshmen singing Cwm Rhondda
Cwm Rhondda
Cwm Rhondda, the Welsh name for the Rhondda Valley, is a popular hymn tune written by John Hughes and first performed in 1907. It is often erroneously called Bread of Heaven and is usually used in English as a setting for William Williams's text Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah , originally...
, Sospan Fach
Sosban Fach
Sosban Fach is a traditional Welsh folk song. It is one of the best-known and most often sung songs in the Welsh language....
, Land of My Fathers
Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau
Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau is the national anthem of Wales. The title – taken from the first words of the song – means "Old Land of My Fathers", usually rendered in English as simply "Land of My Fathers". The words were written by Evan James and the tune composed by his son, James James, both residents...
and then God Save the Queen
God Save the Queen
"God Save the Queen" is an anthem used in a number of Commonwealth realms and British Crown Dependencies. The words of the song, like its title, are adapted to the gender of the current monarch, with "King" replacing "Queen", "he" replacing "she", and so forth, when a king reigns...
, to which the All Blacks responded with a weird chant led by Nepia.
But as fame of their unbeaten status spread, so did the status of their haka. At the beginning of their 22nd game in Wales at Llanelli, we read
"On the appearance of the men in red, "Sosban Fach" was sung with great enthusiasm. NepiaGeorge NepiaGeorge Nepia was a Māori rugby union and rugby league player. He is remembered as an exceptional full-back and one of the most famous Māori rugby players. He was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame in 1990. In 2004 he was selected as number 65 by the panel of the New Zealand's Top...
then led the All Blacks in their famous war dance, which was very impressive. One could almost hear a pin drop while it was rendered. The crowd again sang 'Sosban Fach' in reply."
Source, The Triumphant Tour! : the All Blacks in England, Ireland and Wales, 1924-1925. This rugby treasure is mostly reprints of extensive newspaper reports of each match of the tour.
The haka in "Finnegans Wake"
Irish writer James JoyceJames Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
heard this haka performed at the Invincibles
The Invincibles (rugby union)
The Invincibles was a nickname given to the 1924-25 New Zealand rugby union team which toured the United Kingdom, Ireland, France and Canada. The team was captained by Cliff Porter, and numbered among its top players George Nepia and brothers Cyril and Maurice Brownlie.Between September 1924 and...
' match at Paris in January 1925. He modified some of the words and used them in his word-play novel Finnegans Wake
Finnegans Wake
Finnegans Wake is a novel by Irish author James Joyce, significant for its experimental style and resulting reputation as one of the most difficult works of fiction in the English language. Written in Paris over a period of seventeen years, and published in 1939, two years before the author's...
.
Let us propel us for the frey of the fray! Us, us, beraddy!
Ko Niutirenis hauru leish! A lala!
Ko Niutirenis haururu laleish! Ala lala!
The Wullingthund sturm is breaking.
The sound of maormaoring
The Wellingthund sturm waxes fuercilier.
Finnegans Wake, 2nd ed. 1950, Book II chap ii, page 335.
Overview
Before a Tri NationsRugby Union Tri Nations
The Rugby Championship is an international rugby union competition contested annually by Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The competition is organized by SANZAR, a consortium formed by the governing bodies of the Australian Rugby Union, the New Zealand Rugby Union and the South...
match against South Africa on August 28, 2005 at Carisbrook
Carisbrook
Carisbrook was a major sporting venue in Dunedin, New Zealand. The city's main domestic and international rugby union venue, it has also been used for other sports such as cricket, football, rugby league and motocross. Carisbrook has also hosted a Joe Cocker concert and frequently hosted pre-game...
in Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
, the All Blacks unexpectedly introduced a new haka, "Kapa o Pango". It featured an extended and aggressive introduction by team captain Tana Umaga
Tana Umaga
Jonathan Ionatana Falefasa "Tana" Umaga, ONZM is a New Zealand rugby union footballer and former captain of the national team, the All Blacks. He played for the Hurricanes starting with the Super 12's inception in 1996 and took over the captaincy in 2003...
and was highlighted by its more aggressive climax, a drawing of the thumb down the throat. This was interpreted by many as a "throat-slitting" action directed at the opposing team. The All Blacks went on to win the match 31 to 27.
The words to "Kapa o Pango" are more specific to the rugby team than "Ka Mate", referring to the warriors in black and the silver fern. http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/waikatotimes/0,2106,3391883a6648,00.html
The new haka was developed by Derek Lardelli of Ngāti Porou
Ngati Porou
Ngāti Porou is a Māori iwi traditionally located in the East Cape and Gisborne regions of the North Island of New Zealand. Ngāti Porou has the second-largest affiliation of any iwi in New Zealand, with 71,910 registered members in 2006...
by modifying the first verse of "Ko Niu Tirini," the haka used by the 1924 All Blacks. An NZRU press release stated that
Kapa o Pango has been over a year in the making, and was created in consultation with many experts in Māori culture. It will serve as a complement to "Ka Mate" rather than a replacement, to be used for 'special occasions'.
However, the NZRU failed to acknowledge their debt to the creativity and mana of members of the 1924 Invincibles, and the high status that the Invincibles' haka had attained by the end of 1925 was damaged by the public-relations disaster during the haka's 2005 re-incarnation.
John Smit
John Smit
John William Smit is the 50th and current captain of the South African national rugby union team, the Springboks. He has played most of his career as a hooker, but played twice for the Springboks off the bench as a prop prior to the South Africa coaching staff's decision to use him as a tighthead...
, the Springbok captain who faced the debut performance of "Kapa o Pango", said after the match: "To stand there and watch it for the first time was a privilege." The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
columnist Mick Cleary criticised the new haka as "unmistakeably [sic] provocative … There is a fine line and the All Blacks crossed it. Carisbrook is a rugby field not a back-street alley." French
France national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
coach Bernard Laporte
Bernard Laporte
Bernard Laporte is a rugby union coach and former French Secretary of State for Sport. He is currently the head coach at Toulon, having taken over in 2011 from Philippe Saint-André, who had been named the new head coach of the France national team. Laporte himself is a former head coach of France,...
requested New Zealand not to perform "Kapa o Pango" during their November, 2006 tour of France, claiming that "It's no good for the promotion of our sport."
The All Blacks opted not to perform "Kapa o Pango" in their opening test of 2006 against . It was requested that they perform their usual Ka Mate haka while a review was conducted into "Kapa o Pango". The throat-slitting action at the end of "Kapa o Pango" had drawn many complaints in the lead-up to the Irish test, with members of the public complaining about it to the NZRU. The NZRU said that it was not because of public pressure that it was not performed against Ireland.http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3694383a1823,00.html
In the run-up to the first All Blacks Test of the 2006 Tri Nations
2006 Tri Nations Series
-Week 2:-Week 3:-Week 4:* All Blacks retain Bledisloe Cup-Week 5:-Week 6:-Week 7:-Week 8:-Week 9:-External links:* * *...
at Jade Stadium
Jade Stadium
Lancaster Park, formerly Jade Stadium and currently known as AMI Stadium through sponsorship rights, is a sports stadium situated in Waltham, a suburb of Christchurch in New Zealand....
in Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
against , the NZRU completed their review, and concluded that the gesture had a radically different meaning within Māori culture and haka traditions, indicating the drawing of "hauora", the breath of life into the heart and lungs. http://www.planet-rugby.com/News/story_52333.shtml And so "Kapa o Pango" was performed, complete with the final gesture, before the Australia test.
Despite this, the controversial gesture was withdrawn in 2007, with a modified action (raking the right arm from the left hip to over the right shoulder) performed in the challenge when "Kapa o Pango" was performed in test matches against France and South Africa. During the 2008 Tri Nations series, the All Blacks appear to have reverted to the original action of drawing the hand across the throat.
On the 24th September 2011, for their Pool A
2011 Rugby World Cup Pool A
Pool A of the 2011 Rugby World Cup began on 9 September 2011 and was completed on 2 October. The pool was composed of hosts New Zealand, as well as the fourth-placed team from 2007, France, and Canada, Japan and Tonga. One of the biggest shocks in the history of the tournment came when Tonga beat...
match against France at Eden Park
Eden Park
Eden Park is the biggest stadium in Auckland, New Zealand. It is used primarily for rugby union in winter and cricket in summer . The ground also occasionally hostts rugby league matches. To accommodate all three sports, the cricket pitch is removable...
, the All Blacks performed the Kapa o Pango, which included the act of slitting the throat at the end. The French had ousted New Zealand at the 2007 World Cup
2007 Rugby World Cup knockout stage
The knockout stage of the 2007 Rugby World Cup began on 6 October with a quarter-final between Australia and England and concluded on 20 October with the final, at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Paris, between England and South Africa, their second meeting in this tournament.South Africa were...
. It had since been a fixture since the knockout stages against Argentina and Australia.
Published words and the NZRU explanation
| Kapa o Pango kia whakawhenua au i ahau! | All Blacks, let me become one with the land |
| Hī aue, hī! | |
| 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! |
Words chanted on field, and their literal interpretation
| Taringa whakarongo! | |
| Kia rite! Kia ite! Kia mau! Hī! | |
| Kia whakawhenua au i ahau! | |
| Hī aue, hī! | |
| Ko Aotearoa e ngunguru nei! | |
| Hī au, au, aue hā, hī! | |
| Ko Kapa o Pango e ngunguru nei! | |
| Hī au, au, aue hā, hī! | |
| I āhahā! | |
| Ka tū te Ihiihi | |
| Ka tū te Wanawana | |
| Ki runga ki te rangi | |
| E tū iho nei, tū iho nei, hī! | |
| Ponga rā! | |
| Kapa o Pango, aue hī!' | |
| Ponga rā! | |
| Kapa o Pango, aue hī, hā! |
Controversies
Vasco Uva
Vasco Nuno Barata Sousa Uva is a Portuguese rugby union player. He plays as a number eight. In Portugal he played for Grupo Desportivo Direito, until he was assigned, in January 2008 for the professional team of Montpellier Hérault RC, in France.He took his Law degree at the Catholic University of...
said of the haka that "[We] faced it, gave it the respect it deserved and it gave us motivation and we knew if it gave them strength, it was also a point of strength for us."
Ignoring the haka is a tactic sometimes used by opposing teams. Famously, the Australian rugby team
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
did a warm up drill well away from the All Blacks during their 1996 Test Match in Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
. More recently, the Italian rugby team
Italy national rugby union team
The Italy national rugby union team represent the nation of Italy in the sport of rugby union. The team is also known as the Azzurri . Italy have been playing international rugby since the late 1920s, and since 2000 compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland,...
ignored the haka during a 2007 World Cup Pool Match. All Black team member, Keven Mealamu
Keven Mealamu
Keven Mealamu is a New Zealand rugby union footballer. He plays at hooker for the Blues in the Super 14, Auckland in the National Provincial Championship, and the New Zealand national team, All Blacks....
, said later that in his opinion the snub had backfired and provided motivation to his team.
Australian back David Campese
David Campese
David Ian Campese , also known as Campo, is a former Australian rugby union player. Campese was capped by the Wallabies 101 times, and held the world record for the most tries in test matches until Daisuke Ohata scored his 65th try playing for Japan on 14 May 2006...
often ignored the haka, most notably in the 1991 World Cup
1991 Rugby World Cup
The 1991 Rugby World Cup was the second edition of the Rugby World Cup, and was jointly hosted by England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and France; at that time, the five European countries that participated in the Five Nations Championship making it the first Rugby World Cup to be staged in the...
semi-final, when he chose to practice warm-up drills instead of facing the All-Blacks.
In 1989, as the All Blacks were performing the haka in Landsdowne Road before playing Ireland, the Irish lined up to facing New Zealand and then edged closer and closer to the All Blacks. By the time the end of the haka came, captain Willie Anderson was only inches from Buck Shelford's face.
One of the best-known responses to the haka occurred during the 1995 Rugby World Cup Final at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, South Africa. The Springboks, led by captain Francois Pienaar defiantly faced the haka by striding towards the All Blacks as they performed the dance. By the end of the haka, the Springboks were a metre from the All Blacks team staring them down.
In 1997, Richard Cockerill
Richard Cockerill
Richard Cockerill is a former English rugby union footballer who played as a hooker.Cockerill was born in Rugby. Joining Leicester Tigers, he established himself as the B of the "ABC club" alongside Graham Rowntree and Darren Garforth .He made his England debut against Argentina in 1997 and...
was disciplined for responding to the haka before the start of an England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
vs. All Blacks
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
game. Cockerill went toe-to-toe with his opposite number Norm Hewitt while they performed the haka. The referee became so concerned that Hewitt and Cockerill would begin fighting that he pushed Cockerill away from Hewitt. Cockerill went on to say afterwards "I believe that I did the right thing that day," he said. "They were throwing down a challenge and I showed them I was ready to accept it. I'm sure they would rather we did that than walk away."
At the 1999 Bledisloe Cup match at Telstra Stadium, Sydney, 107,000 voices sang Waltzing Matilda
Waltzing Matilda
"Waltzing Matilda" is Australia's most widely known bush ballad. A country folk song, the song has been referred to as "the unofficial national anthem of Australia"....
as a response to the New Zealand haka. The Australian players responded by delivering New Zealand a record 28-7 defeat, culminating in the cup being retained by Australia.
In 2005, the All Blacks agreed to a request from the Welsh Rugby Union
Welsh Rugby Union
The Welsh Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Wales, recognised by the International Rugby Board.The union's patron is Queen Elizabeth II, and her grandson Prince William of Wales became the Vice Royal Patron of the Welsh Rugby Union as of February 2007.-History:The roots of the...
to repeat the sequence of events from the original match a century before in 1905. This involved the All Blacks performing the haka after "God Defend New Zealand
God Defend New Zealand
"God Defend New Zealand" is one of two national anthems of New Zealand, the other being "God Save the Queen". Legally they have equal status, but "God Defend New Zealand" is more commonly used, and is popularly referred to as "the national anthem"...
" and before "Hen Wlad fy Nhadau
Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau
Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau is the national anthem of Wales. The title – taken from the first words of the song – means "Old Land of My Fathers", usually rendered in English as simply "Land of My Fathers". The words were written by Evan James and the tune composed by his son, James James, both residents...
". For the November 2006 test, the Welsh Rugby Union demanded a repeat of this sequence. The All Blacks refused, and instead chose to perform the haka in their changing room before the match. All Blacks captain Richie McCaw
Richie McCaw
Richard Hugh "Richie" McCaw is a New Zealand rugby union player, and is the current test captain. He plays in the openside flanker position for the New Zealand, Crusaders and Canterbury rugby teams...
defended the decision by stating that the haka was "integral to New Zealand culture and the All Blacks' heritage" and "if the other team wants to mess around, we'll just do the haka in the shed". The crowd reacted negatively to the lack of the haka and then being shown brief footage of the haka on the screens at the Millennium Stadium
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and also frequently stages games of the Wales national football team, but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage...
.
In 2006, the Seven Network
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
TV channel in Australia used digital enhancement to add handbags to video of New Zealand rugby players performing the haka. This was inspired by an incident when former All Black captain Tana Umaga
Tana Umaga
Jonathan Ionatana Falefasa "Tana" Umaga, ONZM is a New Zealand rugby union footballer and former captain of the national team, the All Blacks. He played for the Hurricanes starting with the Super 12's inception in 1996 and took over the captaincy in 2003...
struck Hurricanes
Hurricanes (Super rugby franchise)
The Hurricanes are a New Zealand professional Rugby union team based in Wellington that competes in the Super Rugby competition...
team mate Chris Masoe
Chris Masoe
Chris Masoe is a New Zealand rugby union footballer and currently plays for Castres Olympique.-Super 14:...
over the head with a woman's handbag after the Super 14 final
2006 Super 14 Final
The Final of the 2006 Super 14 season, a rugby union competition in the Southern Hemisphere, took place on May 27, 2006 at Jade Stadium in Christchurch, New Zealand. The match was won by the Crusaders 19 points to 12 over the visiting Wellington-based side, the Hurricanes...
. All Blacks assistant coach Wayne Smith
Wayne Smith (rugby player)
Wayne Ross Smith is a former rugby union footballer, and currently a rugby union coach. He is currently the backs coach for New Zealand's national rugby union team the All Blacks. He played provincial rugby for Canterbury and became an All Black in 1980. He played first five-eighth, gaining 35...
criticised the advertisement, saying "It is insensitive, I think, to Māori and disrespectful of the All Blacks".
In the Autumn International against England in 2010, the Haka was drowned out by the English fans singing "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" is a historic African-American spiritual. The first recording was in 1909, by the Fisk Jubilee Singers of Fisk University....
". England were subsequently beaten by the All Blacks 16-26.
The "Kapa o Pango" haka created controversy when the gesture of a thumb drawn down the throat was interpreted by many observers as implying throat slitting. The All Blacks and Māori interpreted it as drawing the breath of life into the heart and lungs ("hauora"). This led to calls for it to be banned, although a poll conducted in July 2006 showed 60 percent support in New Zealand. During Ireland
Ireland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
's tour of New Zealand
2006 mid-year rugby test series
During June of 2006, several rugby union test sides played fixtures that were mainly contested in southern nations. It acted as end of year tours of the Northern Hemisphere nations, and pre season matches for the Tri Nations Series and Pacific 5 Nations....
, the NZRU
New Zealand Rugby Football Union
The New Zealand Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in New Zealand, it was founded in 1892, 12 years after the first Provincial Unions in New Zealand, and in 1949, became an affiliate to the International Rugby Board, the governing body of Rugby Union for the world...
put the haka on a temporary hiatus, to review its appropriateness, by asking the All Blacks not to perform it against Ireland.
In the 2007 Rugby World Cup quarter-finals, France, after having won the coin toss for the choice of uniforms, famously wore the blue/white/red of the French flag and walked up to within a metre of the haka performance, forming a line of opposition to the performance by the All-Blacks, who were wearing a predominantly silver uniform (as opposed to the traditional all black). France went on to beat the All-Blacks 20-18.
In the 2008 Rugby Autumn Tests, Wales responded to the haka by standing on the pitch refusing to move until the All Blacks did. This resulted in the referee Jonathan Kaplan berating both teams for a full two minutes after the haka had ended until eventually New Zealand captain McCaw instructed his team to break off. After a spirited first half display which ended with Wales leading 9 - 6, the All Blacks responded positively and won the game 9 - 29.
Following the final of the 2011 World Cup, the French national team was fined by the IRB for marching to within 10 meters of their All Black opponents during the performance of the haka.
Use by other teams
Other New Zealand sports teams have similarly performed the haka before a match. The tradition of performing a haka before every Test Match is just as strong with the Kiwis , the New Zealand national rugby league teamNew Zealand national rugby league team
The New Zealand national rugby league team has represented New Zealand in rugby league football since intercontinental competition began for the sport in 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the native bird of that name...
, performing it before every game. It is also performed by the Australian rules football team
New Zealand national Australian rules football team
The New Zealand national Australian rules football team nicknamed the Falcons, is the national team for the sport of Australian rules football in New Zealand. The team is selected from the best New Zealand born and developed players, primarily from the clubs of the New Zealand AFL. New Zealand-born...
and Tall Blacks
New Zealand national basketball team
The New Zealand national basketball team represents New Zealand in international basketball competitions. It is nicknamed the Tall Blacks, derived from the name of New Zealand's Rugby union team, the All Blacks.-History:...
. The New Zealand Māori
New Zealand Maori rugby union team
New Zealand Māori is a rugby union team that traditionally plays teams touring New Zealand. A prerequisite for playing in this team is that the player is to have Māori whakapapa or genealogy. In the past this rule was not strictly applied. In the past non-Māori players who looked Māori were often...
have performed the 'Timatanga' haka since 2001. When Munster
Munster Rugby
Munster Rugby is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Munster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and Heineken Cup.The team represents the Irish Rugby Football Union Munster Branch which is one of four primary branches of the IRFU, and is responsible for rugby union in the Irish...
hosted the All Blacks at Thomond Park
Thomond Park
Thomond Park is a stadium located in Limerick in the Irish province of Munster. The stadium is owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union and count Munster Rugby, Shannon RFC and UL Bohemian RFC as tenants. The capacity of the stadium is 26,500 following its large scale redevelopment in...
in November 2008, the four New Zealand players in the Munster
Munster Rugby
Munster Rugby is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Munster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and Heineken Cup.The team represents the Irish Rugby Football Union Munster Branch which is one of four primary branches of the IRFU, and is responsible for rugby union in the Irish...
team performed their own haka prior to the All Blacks. In the documentary Murderball, the New Zealand paralympic rugby team can be seen performing a modified version of the haka.
At the opening parade of the 2002 Commonwealth Games
2002 Commonwealth Games
The 2002 Commonwealth Games were held in Manchester, England from 25 July to 4 August 2002. The XVII Commonwealth Games was the largest multi-sport event ever to be held in the UK, eclipsing London's 1948 Summer Olympics in numbers of teams and athletes participating.After the 1996 Manchester...
in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, the New Zealand team
stopped in front of the Queen and performed a haka.
New Zealand teams have attracted some criticism for performing the haka,
on occasions such as winning a swim relay bronze medal.
In 2009, Ice Blacks did their haka before their ice hockey match against Australia.
The high-profile of the All Blacks, and their use of the haka has led to other Pacific teams to use similar dances from their own cultures, such as the Cibi
Cibi
The Cibi is a Fijian meke of Bauan origin and is a war dance, generally performed before battle or after battle, it came to prominence when it was performed by the Fiji national rugby union team before each match.-Origins:...
, Kailao
Kailao
The Kailao is a Wallisian war dance imported to Tonga from nearby 'Uvea .-History:It is usually performed at public and private ceremonies. The men, bearing stylized clubs , dance in a fierce manner that emulates fighting, all to the accompaniment of a beaten slit drum or a tin box, which sets the...
, and Siva tau
Siva tau
The Manu Siva Tau is a Samoan war dance, performed by the Samoa's sporting teams before each match.The national rugby union team used to perform the traditional 'Ma'ulu'ulu Moa' on tour...
. Other teams from the Pacific and elsewhere however have performed the Ka Mate
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.-The creation and composition of Ka Mate:...
or Kapa O Pango haka. For instance, the "Kapa O Pango" haka was used by the University of Hawaii Warriors
Hawaii Warriors football
The Hawaii Warriors football team represents the University of Hawaii at Mānoa in NCAA Division I FBS college football. The team, which is currently coached by Greg McMackin, is part of the Western Athletic Conference until 2012, when the team joins the Mountain West Conference.The Hawaii Warriors...
in 2006, before they created their own war dance, the "Haa", in the Hawaiian language with original movements.
The Black Sticks, the (field) hockey team, also perform a haka.
See also
- Traditional war dances of other rugby nations:
- CibiCibiThe Cibi is a Fijian meke of Bauan origin and is a war dance, generally performed before battle or after battle, it came to prominence when it was performed by the Fiji national rugby union team before each match.-Origins:...
(Fiji) - KailaoKailaoThe Kailao is a Wallisian war dance imported to Tonga from nearby 'Uvea .-History:It is usually performed at public and private ceremonies. The men, bearing stylized clubs , dance in a fierce manner that emulates fighting, all to the accompaniment of a beaten slit drum or a tin box, which sets the...
(Tonga) - Siva tauSiva tauThe Manu Siva Tau is a Samoan war dance, performed by the Samoa's sporting teams before each match.The national rugby union team used to perform the traditional 'Ma'ulu'ulu Moa' on tour...
(Samoa)
- Cibi
- Haka in popular cultureHaka in popular cultureThe haka is a traditional Māori dance form. The use of haka in popular culture is a growing phenomenon, originally from New Zealand. Traditionally, haka were used only in Māori cultural contexts, but today haka are used in a wide range of public occasions to impart a sense of importance of the...
- "Ka MateKa 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.-The creation and composition of Ka Mate:...
" - Kapa hakaKapa hakaThe term Kapa haka is commonly known in Aotearoa as 'Maori Performing Arts' or the 'cultural dance' of Maori people...
- Māori musicMaori musicTe Pūoro Māori or Māori Music is music composed or performed by Māori, the native people of New Zealand, and includes a wide variety of folk music styles, often integrated with poetry and dance, as well as modern rock and roll, soul, reggae and hip hop....
External links
- Words and history of the Ka Mate - website New Zealand Folksongs
- Origins of Kapa o Pango - website New Zealand Folksongs
- Words and history of Ko Niu Tireni - website New Zealand Folksongs
- The haka in Finnegans Wake - website Project MUSE
- New Zealand All Blacks Rugby Haka - Youtube website
- The haka (with several videos) - All Blacks official site
- Haka! - Haka Sports site.
- Te Rauparaha and "Ka Mate" - website New Zealand in History