Right here goes,

Haka is a challenge or tribute to ones comrades or enemys.
Some are downright offensive ie taking the mickey out of your enemy or challenging their manhood etc

Others are more ceremonial ie what we saw here more than likely a tribute to fallen comrades. What made my hair stand was at the end the quiet dignified return to ranks when you could have heard a pin drop.
I will contact a mate of mine who's in the Army and find out which Haka they used but i think you will find that it was a haka made specifically for the NZ Infantry.

The All Blacks have two Haka - "Ka mate" which is the haka from Te Rauparaha a famous warrior who hid himself in a Kumara (Sweet Potatoe) pit and had a woman squat over him to hide himself. The translation in essence is hilarious but what he says is that he hid in the dark and fooled his enemy.

The second All Black haka is "Kapa Pango" or Dance of Black. It is an all out challenge and ends with the thumb being drawn across the throat ie cutting you enemys throat. Its my favourite haka because its all about domination. The All Blacks have been told to tone it down as it is so aggressive but it still gets bought out ie last week when they smashed the Aussies 22 - 0 (I had to have a dig didn't I LOL).

Each tribe has its own Haka and in most cases more than one for each type of situation, probably the scariest I ever been involved in was a challenge from Tuhoe, a central north island tribe. It was a direct challenge to us warriors (Police) preformed at my powhiri (welcome) I attended when I got the Whakatane, it was directed at me and two other cops and included the war leaders approaching us with weapons; Taiaha (a long spear shaped club), and having that swung very close to our heads and bodys in a pseudo test of courage. We'd been warned but I had sweat trickling down my back and had to show the cold face so that my mana was intact.
An elder whos tangi (funeral) I attended had a haka done which ended with the locals firing guns into the air which gave me a hell of a fright as most of them were our local gang members but it was in context and the guns dissappeared very quickly once a couple of them worked out I was there.
All I can say is that if you ever come down under and get the opportunity to see something like that take it in its stride, its an awesome special thing.
I have an affinity towards the maori people and enjoy the cultural side of things.
Plus Maori bread is awesome. Its a potatoe bread where the spuds are used as the rising agent, heavy but ohh so nice with butter or peanut butter, golden syrup etc smeared all over it.

I could go on but I won't

Radar

Thanks Radar...I've never had the haka explained to me before...especially like that...but I do know the significance of it for different occasions.

Cheers, Vince

radar wrote:

you will find that it was a haka made specifically for the NZ Infantry. Radar

Ah yes

the NZ army haka is called Tu Taua a Tumatauenga.

Thats good,
Tumatuenga is the god of war, warriors are called Hoko
Tu is man I have forgotten what Taua means and its too late to look it up. But at a guess it will be about prayer or belief.

R

AH cunning old Te Rauparaha aye!!! he was a warrior and a half if ever there was one. the kumara pit story is true but also the being under a women was a place of santury so he was untouchable while there. another of his famous deeds was the battle of the flax swamp. he had a few hundred warriors and had a much larger enemy force approaching so he put chiefs head feathers on quite a few of his men and had them show themselves striking fear into his enemy who ran and were slaughtered and then probably eaten aswell!!!