Did you see the New Zealand women’s rugby performing the haka after their gold medal win this year at the Olympics in Paris? Or perhaps you’ve seen the legendary All Blacks rugby team perform the haka before a test? But the haka has a long history that predates rugby!
While long characterized by outsiders as a type of war dance, the haka is an integral part of Māori culture that is more closely related to life than it is to death or war. The haka is a coordinated group dance involving vigorous movements including body slapping, stomping, gestures, intimidating facial expressions, and loud chants. It is best understood through videos–and absolutely unforgettable!
There are versions of the haka across Polynesia, but it took on a particular style once the Māori settled in New Zealand. The pūkana, or showing the whites of the eyes to add emphasis, is done by both men and women, while the whetero, or poking out the tongue, is done only by men. The haka was an important diplomatic ritual. If one side was sufficiently intimidated by the performance of the haka, hand-to-hand fighting could be avoided.
Unfortunately, many attempts were made by European colonizers to do away with the haka as well as other aspects of Māori culture and life. From the 19th to the mid-20th centuries, there were laws that attempted to force assimilation of Māori peoples including restricting speaking the Māori language in schools in hopes that the Māori would cease to exist. Despite these attacks on Māori culture, a revival began in the 1970s.
The most well-known haka is the “Ka Mate haka” attributed to Māori leader Te Rauparaha of the Ngāti Toa iwi, or nation. This type of haka would have been performed without weapons. Now, the “Ka Mate” is performed by New Zealand’s All Blacks before many of their rugby games.
The haka is important outside of sports. Both Māori and non-Māori people in New Zealand learn haka in school and university. It remains an important symbol of indigenous identity.
Rebecca McCormick is a writer and editor based in Fairfax, Virginia. She has a passion for history education and holds an MA in History of Decorative Arts. Rebecca believes that hands-on history and interacting with objects help learning come alive for children and adults.