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What do the actual Maori think of the all blacks doing the haka.
Declan
I’m not from NZ, but the Kapo o Pango was created specifically for use in rugby matches by a Maori tribe, and the Maori are big players of rugby themselves, by all accounts, so they probably don’t mind.
The Haka has been seen as an element of national pride, and maori have shared in that. However, it has not always been without controversy. Ka Mate, which had over many years become the default haka performed by NZ teams (not just the All Blacks) was subject to a challenge by the Ngati Toa tribe, seeking to claim ownership and right of veto over its use by commercial organisations. This claim failed, although Ngati Toa did get an acknowledgement of ownership. However, I personally was disconcerted to see Ka Mate being used as part of a fairly recent BBC series of promo spots - I could not see the relevance to the BBC, and felt it was a bit exploitative.
There has also been recent controversy over historical selection policies, where maori players were deliberately not selected for international fixtures in sensitive locations (mainly apartheid South Africa) - this was seen as a capitulation by the NZRFU, and the All Black performance of the haka in those circumstances has been considered by some maori (from my understanding, I have been in the UK during this period but followed it quite closely) to be disrespectful.
Also, womans teams do not perform haka - in maori culture, it is definitely a male only event.
The All Blacks now sometimes use a haka specially written for them, which did involve consultation with appropriate maori authorities, though the final action of Kapa o Pango (with a thumb drawn across the throat) did introduce some disquiet, mimicking a throat slitting action. This was not intended - the action had a completely different meaning in the context of maori culture. The action has sometimes been modified for international sensibilities.
Si
Many of the All Blacks are actual Maori.
To illustrate my point, rather than pointing out Maori players in the All Blacks I’ll just give you this photo of the NZ Maori rugby team.
See, the Maori and Pakeha in NZ often got on famously well and so a lot of NZers have some Maori background, even the ones who look one shade off albino. The downside is that there are few (if any?) pure Maori left.
Like me!
And me :).
Aside from the ownership quesiton that si_blakely mentioned, the only other Maori opposition to the use of the haka that I can recall came a few years ago when some members of Ngai Tahu (a South Island tribe) expressed disquiet about the All Blacks performing the *Ka mate *haka in Christchurch.
The author of Ka mate, Te Rauparaha, led a punitive expedition to the Christchurch region in 1831 and after a three-month siege, killed many Ngai Tahu. Their descendants objected to having his haka used in their region, but this seems to have died away lately.
Oh and until fairly recently the All Blacks performance of the haka was seen as sub-par but they’re now a lot better at it.
Cool
Thanks for the info all
Declan
Me too me too
…me too me too meee twooo
Although I am probably a lot darker than you guys!
Probably. My Irish and Scandinavian ancestry is much more obvious.