Haka (sports)

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The Haka is a traditional dance of the Maori of 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, ie: Sports Match, Conferences, VIP Functions, Hui, etc It was adopted by the NZNRU [New Zealand National Rugby Union] and performed by them at every local and international match since 1906. 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 hockey), and most recently the New Zealand Lacrosse team.[1][2] Over the years they[who?] have most commonly performed the haka "Ka Mate". In the early decades of international rugby, they[who?] sometimes performed other haka,[3] some of which were composed for specific tours. Since 2005 they have occasionally performed a new haka, "Kapa o Pango".

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 Mori players would be selected, but four non Mori were finally included. As the non Mori 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 Mori 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.[4] 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.

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! Uma tiraha! Turi whatia! Hope whai ake! Waewae takahia kia kino! Leader: Ka mate, ka mate Team: Team: All: Ka ora' Ka ora' Ka ora Ka ora " Tnei te tangata phuruhuru Nna i tiki mai whakawhiti te r A Upane! Ka Upane! Upane Kaupane" Whiti te r,! H! Leader: Ka mate, ka mate Slap the hands against the thighs! Puff out the chest. Bend the knees! Let the hip follow! Stomp the feet as hard as you can! 'I die, I die, 'I live, 'I live, 'I die, 'I die 'I live, 'I live, This is the fierce, powerful man ...Who caused the sun to shine again for me Up the ladder, Up the ladder Up to the top The sun shines! Rise!