The New Zealand Black Haka dance is one of the most revered and at the same time controversial manifestations of aggression. Many people like this tradition, others consider it “unsportsmanlike.” In any case, dance has already become an integral part of Rugby Union. Let's look at the history of this war dance, as well as the strange reactions it causes.

The Haka is a war dance traditionally invented and performed by the Maori people before battle to intimidate the enemy. However, the dance was not only used in war, it was performed throughout New Zealand as a sign of respect and greeting. Moreover, the haka is not only performed by men - there are many haka dancers in the country, as well as mixed groups.

New Zealand's first national team to play away (in New South Wales in 1884) performed a haka before every match. The traditional haka is called Ka-Mate, created in 1810 by Te Rauparaha of the Ngati Toa Rangatira tribe. It was based on the haka that had been performed in the Aotearoa region for many centuries.

The first hakas, of course, were not as organized in terms of choreography as today, they were more improvised and much less aggressive. But as the New Zealand national rugby team began to establish its dominance in the sport and the mythology of the Blacks grew, the Haka dance began to become increasingly important to the team's identity. Rivals were fascinated by this dance, and the “blacks” were even criticized if the team for some reason did not perform their famous dance.

In 2005, a new haka appeared - "Kapa o Pango", which included a "throat-cutting" gesture, which caused a lot of controversy and scandals. According to the New Zealand Rugby Union, this gesture symbolizes drawing energy to the body and is quite common among Maori.

Of course, the haka is very popular among rugby fans. In Italy, for example, the introduction of the hack helped sell out an international friendly match at the San Siro stadium in 2009. But what's most interesting, beyond the cultural and traditional aspects of the dance, is how the haka has embraced the New Zealand national rugby team. And also that once match organizers realized that the world loved the haka, they made it part of their laws in the international rugby community. Haka became almost as important as the team itself. But if he is revered by those who watch the match, then the feelings and behavior of those who play the match are completely different.

Rivals have long criticized the haka, arguing the dance gives Team New Zealand an unfair psychological advantage of intimidating opponents before a match. Many players simply didn't know how to respond to this challenge. Some stood respectfully and waited patiently, some decided to “accept” the challenge, others simply ignored the dance. For example, the famous player of the Australian national team David Kampis did not pay attention to the haka at all, while warming up at the edge of the field. Either way, the haka has become an integral part of the game, adding drama and tradition and plenty of controversy to international matches.

Right now, the New Zealand rugby team, the All Blacks, is without a doubt the best team in the world, if not of all time. That is why it seems to some that this is the last team in the world that should have included such a provocative act in its rules of conduct. And while the New Zealand Rugby Union is often accused of being too traditional, there is no denying that the haka adds a unique beauty to rugby. There is nothing else in the world of sports like this that will make your hair stand on end every time you watch it. And there is no end to this.

Ireland v New Zealand, 1989

In 1989, at Lansdowne Road, before a match with the Irish national team, the Irish held hands and began to approach the dancing New Zealanders in the shape of the letter V. As a result, the captain of the Irish national team, Willie Anderson, stood just a couple of centimeters from Buck Shelford's face.

1995 World Cup Final

Before the 1995 final match between South Africa and New Zealand at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, the Springboks, led by captain Francois Piennaar, decided to defend their position in front of the haka-dancing New Zealanders. As a result, the teams converged to one meter.

England v New Zealand in 1997

Before the match at the Old Trafford stadium, English center forward Richard Cockerill (by the way, this was his debut in the sport) decided to intimidate his opponent while performing a hack. The referee was afraid that it would come to a fight, so he simply pushed Cockerill, who was standing in the way of the dancers.

New Zealand v Tonga, 2003

In the World Cup match between these two Pacific nations, the All Balcks, as always, started with their haka dance. The Tongan team responded with the Sipi Tau war dance.

France vs New Zealand, 2007

In 2007, in the quarter-finals of the World Cup in Cardiff, the French team won the right to choose their uniform. The French chose their red, white and blue uniforms (the colors of the national flag) and began to approach the New Zealanders as they performed "Kapa o Pango". Notice Shabal's visual tactics in the video.

Wales v New Zealand, 2008

In 2008, Wales stood their ground after the haka, hoping the New Zealanders would be the first to retreat. As a result, referee Jonathan Kaplan reprimanded both teams for two full minutes until New Zealand captain McCaw told his team to disperse. All this time, the Millennium Stadium did not calm down for a minute.

Munster v New Zealand, 2009

When the New Zealand team was in Tomand Park on their tour of the northern hemisphere, they had to play Munster, an Irish province. The Irish also decided to perform their version of the khaki. Munster's front row features three New Zealanders who consulted with their elders and decided to perform their own version of the haka. Then the entire stadium fell into almost complete silence, and the New Zealanders performed their traditional haka. It was interesting.

France vs New Zealand, 2011

Before the World Cup final in 2011, the French team, led by captain Thierry Dussatoit, crossed the 10-meter line by approaching opponents dancing haka, which is prohibited according to the established rules. The most interesting thing is that after this the French team was fined 10,000 euros, and many called it an “insult.”

The haka dance is not just a menacing performance by New Zealand rugby players before a match. First of all, it is the culture, traditions and heritage of the Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand. However, it was thanks to rugby and the All Blacks that haka gained popularity in the world.

Haka dance - Maori heritage

According to history, the haka was performed by Maori warriors before battle in order to intimidate the enemy. The haka includes menacing foot stomping, swinging and punching, and various grimaces. Nowadays, conflicts are no longer resolved in the open field in face-to-face battles with the enemy, but military traditions remain alive, only flowing into a peaceful direction.

Rugby is also a kind of war. Unlike many other team sports, the game is played dice to dice, shoulder to shoulder, and all within the rules. At times, rugby battles do look tough and even brutal. Therefore, it is not surprising that it was with this game that the introduction of khaki into the sports world began.

New Zealand performs a haka before the match against South Africa. Photo EPA/NIC BOTHMA

But the haka has much more meaning to New Zealanders than just a pre-match dance. This is a tribute to tradition, part of culture. Even in ancient times, the haka was performed not only before battles, but also on other occasions, such as when receiving important guests or when achieving something outstanding. And now it is difficult to imagine this country without khaki; the haka dance has become a brand of New Zealand, its symbol, along with the All Blacks. Haku is performed at sports competitions and receptions, at weddings and when saying goodbye to the departed. Haku is taught in the army and at school.

Maori celebrate the return of the Maori battalion from the First World War. 1920

The most famous haka is Ka Mate. According to legend, it was invented by Te Rauparaha, the leader of the Ngati Toa tribe. He hid from enemies in a food storage pit, and then climbed out, where he met the leader of a friendly tribe. It is these events that are reflected in the text of the Ka Mate haka, which is dedicated to celebrating the victory of life over death.

The New Zealand rugby team performed the haka for the first time during the 1888-1889 away tour. Then it was not yet the official New Zealand team, but a team called New Zealand Natives (natives of New Zealand). They played 107 during their tour! rugby matches, as well as several matches under other football rules.

New Zealand Natives - New Zealand natives. 1887 Photo by S. Mercer

The first versions of the New Zealand rugby players' khaki did not look as impressive as modern versions. Not all players knew what exactly needed to be done, and the movements were not as clear and precise as they are now. Even in the famous 1973 match of the Barbarians against New Zealand, the dance of the New Zealanders is very far from combative. But even then the haka was a special event that the audience was waiting for.

In our time, rugby players have become much more like warriors, and the haka has become more formidable, and the players’ movements are synchronized and refined. Players understand the significance of this ritual, and take its performance seriously. And for the opponents, the haka is truly a challenge.

Evolution of khaki

Although it should be said that according to Maori concepts, hakas are not addressed at all to the enemy. These wars showed and praised their own strength, and made it clear to the enemy that they were going to destroy him. That is, this is not a challenge, but a statement. We don't dance the haka to challenge you to a fight. We dance the haka to say we are going to kill you. Naturally, in rugby everything is not so radical, but the meaning is about the same.

Although haka is also performed by representatives of other team sports, including even such interesting variants as hockey or baseball, it still gained the main share of popularity in the world thanks to rugby. The reason is obvious, the All Blacks are one of the most successful teams in the world, regardless of sport. The percentage of official matches won is 76. And therefore the haka is equivalent to a victory. If New Zealanders performed the dance and then lost, then the haka could indeed be perceived as a joke. But knowing the strength of the team, the opponent, watching the haka, understands that they are serious, and after the whistle to start the match there will be no time for jokes.

Haka in various sports

But it's not just the Maori who have their own fighting rites, and it's not just the New Zealanders who have brought them to the field. Representatives of other Polynesian countries were also not averse to dancing before the fight, and now before the match. However, it is a mistake to call these dances haka; each of them has its own name. For Samoa it is siwa tau, for Tonga it is kailao (sipi tau is the dance of Tongan rugby players, a variation of kailao), for Fiji it is sibi, for Hawaii it is hula.

Rivals did not always perceive the haka as just a tribute to tradition. This is a real challenge for New Zealand's opponents. And they didn’t always just watch how New Zealanders “traditionally” run their fingers along their throats and stick out their tongues.

Haka kapa o pango

In 1997, Richard Cockerill came out to his New Zealand counterpart while performing a haka; as a result, Norm Hewitt completed a private haka face to face with the Englishman. English captain Martin Johnson then quietly said to his player, “What have you done?”... As a result, the angry New Zealanders defeated the English 25-8.

Of course, everyone remembers the French team, which met haka face to face twice. At the 2007 World Cup in the quarterfinals, the French team came close to the New Zealanders, creating a unique moment. Moreover, the French won a sensational victory 20-18. The French were not averse to repeating this and. Despite the ban, they again moved towards their opponent, for which they later paid a fine. And this time they almost managed to repeat the miracle; the New Zealanders barely managed to hold on to the winning score 8-7.

New Zealand - France. 2007. Photo ROSS LAND/AFP

I've seen haka live several times. , and in 2013 in Moscow, when New Zealanders won the Rugby Sevens World Cup. This is an impressive sight... and it was no longer so amazing. But I think any aspiring rugby player dreams of performing a haka and then going out on the field to win. So if you want, you can try it.

Learn Haku

But to win, you need to train first!

WHEN I WATCH SIMILAR FOOTAGE, I FEEL SICKLY PITY FOR THE RUSSIAN ROUND DANCE AND THE SAME EVERYDAY “GOAT” WHICH COULD BE SEEN JUST IN THE STREET AT EVERY HOLIDAY - UNDER THE BAYAN.
RUSSIAN DANCES - THEY WERE KILLED AT THE EVERYDAY LEVEL
AND WHEN THEY FINALLY DIE OUT AMATEUR ACTIVITY, WE WILL NEVER EVEN SEE RUSSIAN DANCE!
ONLY SUCH WILD DANCES!

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU DANCED IN A ROUND DANCING?
ME - 10 YEARS AGO
AND YOU?

Original taken from masterok in New Zealand Dance

The teachers are seeing us off.

Haka (Maori haka) is a ritual dance of the New Zealand Maori, during which performers stomp their feet, beat their thighs and chests, and shout accompaniment.

The word "haka" in the Maori language means "dance in general" and also "song that accompanies the dance." Haka cannot be attributed exclusively to “dances” or “songs”: as Alan Armstrong put it, a haka is a composition in which each instrument - arms, legs, body, tongue, eyes - performs its own part.

Characteristic details of the haka - the dance is performed simultaneously by all participants and is accompanied by grimaces. Grimaces (movements of the eyes and tongue) are very important, and they determine how well the dance is performed. The women performing the haka did not stick out their tongues. Non-military haka may contain wave-like movements of the fingers or hands. The leader of the dance (male or female) shouts out one or two lines of text, after which the rest respond in chorus

Dance at a wedding:

New Zealand rugby players performed the traditional haka ritual dance before their first match of the 2015 World Cup against Argentina. An impressive performance helped and the All Blacks won 26-16. And this video on YouTube has already been watched more than 145 thousand times in two days:

There are several different legends about the origin of the hack. According to one of them, this dance was first performed by women who were looking for a certain Kae, who had killed a whale that belonged to the leader of the tribe. The women didn't know what he looked like, but they knew he had crooked teeth. Kae was among other people, and to identify him in the crowd, the women performed a funny dance with comic movements. Seeing the haku, Kae laughed and was recognized.

The haka was performed primarily in the evening for entertainment; There were purely male hakas, women's, children's, and also suitable for adults of both sexes. Guests were also greeted with this dance. Welcome dances usually began belligerently, since the greeters did not know the intentions of the arrivals. It was with such a warlike dance that the armed Maori met James Cook in 1769.

Christian missionary Henry Williams wrote: “It is necessary to prohibit all the old customs, dancing, singing and tattooing, the main local bacchanals. In Auckland people like to gather in large groups to demonstrate their terrifying dances.” Over time, the attitude of Europeans towards dancing improved, and the haka began to be regularly performed during visits of the royal family.

In the 21st century, the haka is regularly performed by the New Zealand Armed Forces. Twice a year, since 1972, the haka festival-competition Te Matatini (Maori Te Matatini) has been held. Since the late 19th century, rugby teams have performed this dance before competition, and in the 2000s the tradition sparked much controversy and accusations that the All Blacks were "devaluing" the haka.

They see off a dead soldier on his last journey.

Everyone who considers themselves involved in rugby knows this cherished four-letter word. The strongest team of all time, the New Zealand team, performs its ritual dance before each match, inspiring fans and intimidating enemies. So, let's tell you what haka is.

Ritual dance

Haka is a ritual dance of the Maori (the indigenous population of New Zealand), accompanied by stomping feet, striking the hips and chest with palms, and shouting.

For New Zealanders themselves, haka is much more than just body movements. This is a whole composition consisting of dance and song, and various parts of the body act as an orchestra. A separate role is assigned to the eyes and tongue. It is by the movement of these organs that the quality of the dance is determined. Interestingly, women are prohibited from sticking out their tongues.

Khaki always has a leader. He is the only one who is on his feet throughout most of the action and shouts out the words of the song, which all the other participants repeat in unison.

Each tribe has its own haka. The version that this is exclusively a war dance is incorrect. There are different hacks in New Zealand: from greeting to funeral. The dance is performed before a fight, sports matches or even a wedding.

Haka in rugby

The first haka to be performed before a rugby match was in 1888 by the Australasian team (a joint team of New Zealand and Australia) before a match against Great Britain.

The New Zealand rugby team appeared a little later, in 1892. However, they received the nickname “All Blacks” only in 1905. The Daily Mail newspaper, after the defeat of one of the English clubs by New Zealanders, nicknamed the team the All Blacks because of the all-black uniform. During that same European tour, the Maori performed “Ka Mate”, which became the hallmark of New Zealand rugby players.

The meaning of khaki

According to legend, “I Perish” (Ka Mate) was coined by Te Rauparaha, the head of the Ngati Toa tribe. Fleeing from his enemies, the leader hid in a hole, but when he heard a noise above the shelter, he began to say goodbye to his life. When the pit lid was pulled back, Te Rauparaha saw another leader, Te Whareangi (literally translated as “hairy”) from a neighboring tribe. To celebrate, the rescued one composed “Ka Mate”.

First, the leader “sings”, organizing and setting up his team:

Ringa pakia! Hands on your belt!

Uma tiraha! Chest forward!

Turi whatia! Bend your knees!

Hope whai ake! Hips forward!

Waewae takahia kia kino! Stomp your feet as hard as you can!

Ka mate, ka mate! ka ora! ka ora! I'm dying! I'm dying! I'm alive! I'm alive!

Ka mate! ka mate! ka ora! ka ora! I'm dying! I'm dying! I'm alive! I'm alive!

Tēnei te tangata pūhuruhuru But here is the Hairy Man

Nāna nei i tiki mai whakawhiti te rā He brought the sun and lit it.

Ā, upane! ka upane! Step forward! one more step forward!

Ā, upane, ka upane, whiti te ra! Step up! Towards the sun!

Hi! Rise up!

The “I am perishing” haka describes the cult of the sun, dawn, the cyclical cycle of day and night, life and death.

It is important to know that haka is performed exclusively by New Zealanders. The national teams of Samoa, Tonga and Fiji have their own dances, differing in words, movement and meaning.

The All Blacks also sometimes perform another dance called the Kapa O Pango, but we will cover that in a future article.

This is how teachers see you off.

Probably our traditions are also assessed by someone as something strange and even scary. I would like to remember - what for example? Here are some of our traditions that a New Zealander can perceive in the same way as we perceive their Haka tradition.

Haka (Maori haka) is a ritual dance of the New Zealand Maori, during which performers stomp their feet, beat their thighs and chests, and shout accompaniment.

The word "haka" in the Maori language means "dance in general" and also "song that accompanies the dance." Haka cannot be attributed exclusively to “dances” or “songs”: as Alan Armstrong put it, a haka is a composition in which each instrument - arms, legs, body, tongue, eyes - performs its own part.

Characteristic details of the haka - the dance is performed simultaneously by all participants and is accompanied by grimaces. Grimaces (movements of the eyes and tongue) are very important, and they determine how well the dance is performed. The women performing the haka did not stick out their tongues. Non-military haka may contain wave-like movements of the fingers or hands. The leader of the dance (male or female) shouts out one or two lines of text, after which the rest respond in chorus

Dance at a wedding:

New Zealand rugby players performed the traditional haka ritual dance before their first match of the 2015 World Cup against Argentina. An impressive performance helped and the All Blacks won 26-16. And this video on YouTube has already been watched more than 145 thousand times in two days:

There are several different legends about the origin of the hack. According to one of them, this dance was first performed by women who were looking for a certain Kae, who had killed a whale that belonged to the leader of the tribe. The women didn't know what he looked like, but they knew he had crooked teeth. Kae was among other people, and to identify him in the crowd, the women performed a funny dance with comic movements. Seeing the haku, Kae laughed and was recognized.

The haka was performed primarily in the evening for entertainment; There were purely male hakas, women's, children's, and also suitable for adults of both sexes. Guests were also greeted with this dance. Welcome dances usually began belligerently, since the greeters did not know the intentions of the arrivals. It was with such a warlike dance that the armed Maori met James Cook in 1769.

Christian missionary Henry Williams wrote: “It is necessary to prohibit all the old customs, dancing, singing and tattooing, the main local bacchanals. In Auckland people like to gather in large groups to demonstrate their terrifying dances.” Over time, the attitude of Europeans towards dancing improved, and the haka began to be regularly performed during visits of the royal family.

In the 21st century, the haka is regularly performed by the New Zealand Armed Forces. Twice a year, since 1972, the haka festival-competition Te Matatini (Maori Te Matatini) has been held. Since the late 19th century, rugby teams have performed this dance before competition, and in the 2000s the tradition sparked much controversy and accusations that the All Blacks were "devaluing" the haka.

They see off a dead soldier on his last journey.