Ka Mate
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- This article is about Ka Mate in general, See Haka of the All Blacks for more rugby information.
"Ka Mate" is a Māori haka attributed to Te Rauparaha, war leader of the Ngāti Toa tribe, and originated on the island of Aotearoa, known today as New Zealand. The haka is an action chant, often described as a "war dance", but more a chant with hand gestures and foot stamping, originally performed by warriors before a battle, proclaiming their strength and prowess and generally verbally abusing the opposition. These days it is always ceremonial. The "Ka Mate" haka is about the cunning ruse a Māori chief used to outwit his enemies, and may be interpreted as 'as a celebration of the triumph of life over death' (Pōmare 2006).
"Ka Mate" has traditionally been performed by the All Blacks, New Zealand's international rugby union team, immediately prior to test matches. Since 2005 the All Blacks have occasionally performed a different haka, "Kapa o Pango". Due to its use by the All Blacks, "Ka Mate" is the most widely known haka in New Zealand and elsewhere.
"Ka Mate" has also become well known in the Mountain West Conference, and among the fans and opponents of the Brigham Young University football team. Prior to the BYU Cougars taking on Boston College, their season-opener in 2005, the Cougars instituted a new tradition when they performed the "Ka Mate" Haka. Minutes before kickoff, members of the BYU football team lined up on the southeast corner of the field and performed "Ka Mate" for a stadium full of cheering fans. Planned and prepared under a tight veil of secrecy for months, this new tradition was inspired by Bryce Mahuika, the team’s only player of Maori decent, who had recently lost his father, Michael K. Mahuika (the son of Napi Mahuika, the chief of the Maori Ngati Porou tribe). As a boy, Michael K. Mahuika, his father's oldest son and next in line to become the chief of his tribe, was taught everything about his tribe's culture. When he attended the Church College of Hawaii, now Brigham Young University Hawaii, he was employed at the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC), where he performed haka and other dances of his people at the Maori Village for tourists. He passed these cultural dances on to his children, teaching them how important they were to his people and his forefathers. On March 27th, 2005, Michael K. Mahuika passed away in Vancouver, Washington; Hodgkin's lymphoma had finally won. Over a thousand mourners attended his funeral, including Curtis Brown, Brigham Young University's star running back, to honor the fallen chief. Kyle and Bryce Mahuika, his sons, led them in a haka at the gravesite prior to lowering Michael K. Mahuika's casket into the ground. After returning from his father's funeral, Bryce Mahuika attended a team meeeting where Bronco Mendenhall, the head coach, asked the team for personal requests that might help the team reach their goals in 2006. Bryce Mahuika went up to the front to thank everybody for their support, when he had the idea to do the Haka to fire up the crowd and prepare for football games. He explained the origins and significance of the Haka to the team, and they enthusiastically supported the idea. On September 03, 2005, the BYU Football team instituted the new tradition, and a little over a year later, on November 18th, 2006, the Cougars became undefeated (in conference play) Mountain West Conference champions.
In an interesting departure from their normal pre-game "Ka Mate" performance, on Saturday, 25 November, 2006, the Brigham Young University Cougars performed "Ka Mate" both prior to their historic rivalry football game with the University of Utah, and upon winning a come-from-behind, extremely hard-fought game, breaking Utah's four-year winning streak in the series, BYU's football team performed an additional impromptu rendition of "Ka Mate" to the delight of their fans in attendance.
| In Maori | English translation |
|---|---|
| Ka mate, ka mate! Ka ora! ka ora!
Ka mate! Ka mate! Ka ora! Ka ora! Tēnei te tangata pūhuruhuru Nāna nei i tiki mai whakawhiti te rā A upa ... ne! ka upa ... ne! A upane kaupane whiti te ra! |
’Tis death! ‘tis death! (or: I may die) ’Tis life! ‘tis life! (or: I may live)
’Tis death! ‘tis death! ’Tis life! ‘tis life! This the hairy man that stands here... …who brought the sun and caused it to shine A step upward, another step upward! A step upward, another... the Sun shines! |
Contents |
[edit] Trivia
Kamate is also the name of a bastard sword which features in the tabletop roleplaying game Dungeons and Dragons. It appears in the rules supplement Tome of Battle, and is described as meaning "It is death" in Goblin. Drawing this bastard sword causes the wielder to hear whispers of goblins chanting its name.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- M. Pōmare, 'Ngāti Toarangatira', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 9-Jun-2006, www.teara.govt.nz
[edit] External links
- http://www.haka.co.nz/haka.php - The story behind "Ka Mate"; includes a recording
- http://history-nz.org/rauparaha.html - Te Rauparaha and "Ka Mate"
- http://photo.byu.edu:16080/markImages/Multimedia/BYUvsUNM/ - Multimedia slideshow of the 2006 #23 BYU vs. UNM football game, including a performance of the "Ka Mate" haka prior to the game
[edit] Listening
- Story about haka at Texas high school, from The World radio program
