 |
 |
The beginnings of the Maori haka are extremely
entrenched in the annals of history. It is a
tradition rich in legend and folklore which reflects
the heritage of the Maori. New Zealand heritage is
deeply immersed in haka because the first encounters
between early European explorers, settlers,
missionaries, and Maoris.
Although contemporary tradition advocates the haka
was the exclusive domain of men, history and legends
show another story. Actually, the legend of the Ka
mate, most famous haka, is all about the control of
female sexuality. |
It is said that the haka was taken from the sun god,
Ra. The god Ra had two wives: One who was the spirit
of summer named Hine-raumati, and one who was the
spirit of winter named Hine-takurua.
When Ra and Hine-raumati consummated their relationship,
they had a son named Tanerore. It is possible to see the
light dancing on hot summer days. According to legend, the
dancing light is Tanerore, the son of Hine-raumati,
entertaining his mother. The trembling shimmer or wiriwiri
is depicted today in the trembling hands of the haka
performer.
|
|
The trembling shimmer or wiriwiri
is depicted today in the trembling hands of the haka
performer.
There are many stories of the haka in Maori legends
and myths.
In the natural world, the first employ of the haka
was credited to Chief Tinirau and a few of his
womenfolk.
Desiring to exact revenge for the slaughter of his
pet whale, Tinirau sent women as a hunting party to
discover the man who did it, Kae, an old priest or
tohunga. The women had no idea of what Kae looked
like, but they did know that he had uneven crooked
teeth.
Upon arriving at Kae's village, they started to
dance the haka to make the men smile so that they
can uncover the killer’s identity. |
Apparently, the ruse worked because Kae was soon captured
and brought back to the village of Tinirau where he was
subsequently executed.
For many people, the haka is a dance about war. This is
logical as many have only seen the performance of the haka
as a before the fight challenge to their opponents.
|
But "haka" in Maori just means a dance, or a song
with by dance. While these are the right terms to
correlate with the haka, they do not fully justify
the life force, the movements, words, themes,
rhythm, meaning, history, or style that make up the
haka.
Although there are many differences between the
kinds of war dance, the common denominator is that
they are all danced with weapons.
During pre-European and times of early contact, the
haka was performed as a component of the formal
course when two groups had meetings. |
 |
One example of such an encounter was when a challenge from
the tangata whenua (tribe) was followed by a reply from the
manuhiri (visiting group).
This encounter ended the performance of the haka peruperu by
a tangata whenua. The visitors then responded with their own
performance of a haka. After speeches made by both parties,
they all moved together to hongi, which is the traditional
greeting involving the pressing of noses.
|
|
