Maori Tradition

The Maori people are a proud race of sea-faring Polynesians, indigenous to the island of New Zealand. It is estimated that the Maori’ ancestors arrived in what is now the home around the year 925 BC. Over the course of a millennium and then some, the Maori people have developed a rich culture and a proud heritage, one that they are devoted to preserving and passing on to the next generation. Dance is a very important aspect of Maori culture, and has been for many hundreds of years. Dances such as the Waiata-a-ringa and the Poi are parts of the kappa haka, meaning, Maori performing arts, used to display ability and tell stories. There is one important distinction to make. Haka is the Maori word for dance, and hakas are used in every aspct of Maori culture and on many occasions. The Waiata-a-ringa and the Poi are hakas, but the Haka is a dance of its own.

Haka as the whole body of Maori dance is steeped in Maori legend. The sun god Tama-nui-te-ra and one of his wives, Hine-raumati, who embodies the essence of summer, had a son named Tane-rore. In the summertime, the shimmering appearance of the air on a hot summer day is said to be Tane-rore dancing for his mother. Haka is a recreation of that dancing to please the gods, and the light rapid movement fundamental to haka is meant to represent Tane-rore’s dance. Haka performers will even tremble their hands at times, trying to mimic the shimmering of summer air. There are many different hakas for all occasions, from birthdays to weddings to funerals, and many other celebratory events. One of the traditional applications of haka was a ritual of greeting when two parties met. From this tradition of meeting another tribe with dance arose the Haka, the aggressive and challenging dance and war-cry employed when meeting enemies for battle.