"Ka Mate" is a Māori haka composed by Te Rauparaha, war leader of the Ngāti Toa tribe of the North Island of New Zealand.
Contents |
Te Rauparaha composed Ka Mate circa 1820 as a celebration of life over death[1] after his lucky escape from pursuing Ngati Maniapoto and Waikato enemies. He had hidden from them in a food-storage pit, and climbed back into the light to be met by a chief friendly to him - Te Whareangi (the "hairy man").
The haka as composed by Te Rauparaha begins with a chant:
Then follows the main body of the haka:
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 Ā, upane! ka upane! Ā, upane, ka upane, 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 is the hairy man Who brought the sun and caused it to shine A step upward, another step upward! A step upward, another... the Sun shines! |
Ka Mate is the most widely known haka in New Zealand and elsewhere because it has traditionally been performed by the All Blacks, New Zealand's international rugby union team, as well as the Kiwis, New Zealand's international rugby league team, immediately prior to test (international) matches. Since 2005 the All Blacks have occasionally performed another haka, "Kapa o Pango".
Between 1998 and 2006, Ngati Toa attempted to trademark Ka Mate to prevent its use by commercial organisations without their permission [2] [3] - but in 2006 the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand turned their claim down on the grounds that Ka Mate had achieved wide recognition in New Zealand and abroad as representing New Zealand as a whole and not a particular trader. In March 2011 The NZ Rugby Union came to an amicable agreement with the iwi not to bring the mana of the haka into disrepute. [4]
In 2009, as a part of a wider settlement of grievences, the New Zealand government agreed to: