Haka of the All Blacks

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The All Blacks, the international rugby union team of New Zealand, perform a haka (Māori war dance) immediately prior to international matches [1]. Over the years they have most commonly performed the haka "Ka Mate". In the early decades of international rugby, they sometimes performed other haka[2], some of which were composed for specific tours. Since 2005 they have occasionally performed a new haka, "Kapa o Pango".

The All Blacks perform a haka
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The All Blacks perform a haka

Contents

[edit] History

The first New Zealand rugby team to tour overseas, playing eight matches in New South Wales, 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 "whites" were finally included. As the "whites" 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.

New Zealand played its first full international test match when it played Australia in Sydney in 1903. It has been claimed that the New Zealand team performed a haka which was evidently composed for the occasion, as it addressed the "Kangaroos".

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 criticised 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.

On the 25th of November 2006 in Cardiff, Wales, the All Blacks refused to perform the haka due to unresolved negotiations regarding when it would be performed during the prematch ceremonys. Instead, they performed the haka in their dressing room prior to taking the field. The haka was then shown on the stadium video screen at the commencement of the game. This event overshadowed the scoreline of 45-10, to the All Blacks, a new record in the highest loss at home to Wales and the highest scoreline for the All Blacks to beat Wales by.

The performance of the haka in its current guise is coming under more pressure as opposing international teams and host organisations continue to try to find ways to nullify its rousing effect on the All Black team.

[edit] "Ka Mate"

[edit] Overview

The "Ka Mate" haka arose as a wily plan to defeat the aims of an enemy. Inspired by this, the All Blacks are believed to have first used the "Ka Mate" or "Te Rauparaha" haka in 1906. The origin of this haka dates to 1810 when chief Te Rauparaha of the Ngāti Toa iwi (clan or tribe) was being chased by enemies. In a cunning strategem, he hid in a food-storage pit under the skirt of a woman. Because this was an unthinkable thing for a chief to do, Te Rauparaha thought he would be safe. He climbed out to find someone standing over him, who, instead of killing Te Rauparaha, turned out to be another chief friendly to Te Rauparaha. In relief Te Rauparaha performed a haka with the words (translated from Māori) —

It is death, it is death: it is life, it is life; this is the man who enabled me to live as I climb up step by step toward sunlight.

These words are still used today. Te Rauparaha's escape from death is commemorated in the haka, which can be interpreted as 'a celebration of life over death (Pōmare 2006).

[edit] Performance

The "Ka Mate" haka generally opens with a set of five preparatory instructions shouted by the leader, before the whole team joins in:

"Ka Mate"
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! Stamp the feet as hard as you can!
Leader: Ka mate, ka mate ’Tis death, ‘tis death (or: I may die)
Team: Ka ora, ka ora ’Tis life, ‘tis life (or: I may live)
Leader: Ka mate, ka mate ’Tis death, ‘tis death
Team: Ka ora, ka ora ’Tis life, ‘tis life
All: Tēnei te tangata pūhuruhuru This the hairy man that stands here...
Nāna nei i tiki mai whakawhiti te rā …who brought the sun and caused it to shine
Ā upane, ka upane A step upward, another step upward
Ā upane, ka upane A step upward, another step upward
Whiti te rā, hī! The sun shines!

[edit] "Kapa o Pango"

[edit] Overview

The "throat-slitting" action, being performed by Piri Weepu which was controversial in 2006
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The "throat-slitting" action, being performed by Piri Weepu which was controversial in 2006

Before a Tri Nations match against South Africa on August 28, 2005 at Carisbrook in Dunedin, the All Blacks unexpectedly introduced a new haka, "Kapa o Pango". Written by Derek Lardelli of Ngati Porou, it featured an extended and aggressive introduction by team captain Tana Umaga and was highlighted by its more aggressive climax: each player performing a "throat-slitting" action directed at the opposing team. The All Blacks went on to win the match 31 to 27.

The new haka is said to have 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'. 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[1]

The All Blacks opted not to perform "Kapa o Pango" in their opening test of 2006 against Ireland, as it was requested that they perform the traditional haka, as a 'review' was conducted into "Kapa o Pango". The throat-slitting action at the end of "Kapa o Pango" drew many complaints in the lead up to the Irish test, with members of the public complaining about it to the NZRFU. The NZRFU said that it was not because of public pressure that it was not performed against Ireland.[2] In the run-up to the first All Blacks Test of the 2006 Tri Nations at Jade Stadium in Christchurch against Australia, the NZRFU completed their review, and concluded that the "throat-slitting" gesture had a radically different meaning within Māori culture and haka traditions, specifically the drawing of vital energy into the heart and lungs.[3] "Kapa o Pango" was performed, complete with the final gesture, before the Australia test.

[edit] Performance

"Kapa o Pango"
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!

[edit] Controversy

In November 2006 in a dispute over whether the haka should follow the national anthems or come between them in a match between Wales and the All Blacks, the haka ended up being performed in the changing room.[4]

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ In their 2006 test match against Wales, the All Blacks opted to perform the Haka Ka Mate within their dressing room prior to the match. This was the result of the Welsh rugby union's decision that the Welsh national anthem, Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau would be played after the Haka, not before as is traditional.
  2. ^ The title of this article follows the convention derived from the Māori language of not adding an s to pluralise words.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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