NzAtAGlance

OK, for those of you who think maoris eat people and NZ is the island at the bottom of Australia, I guess I’ll have to start with, who the All Blacks are. They are only the toughest rugby team in the world, (except for a couple of weeks every four years). A haka is a war dance that the maoris used to do to intimidate the enemy. So together we get the All Blacks haka.

The All Blacks haka is well known, and respected around the rugby world. Before every international rugby match against the All Blacks, the opposition have the opportunity to man-up, and look at the All Blacks in the eye and accept the challenge. The majority of the opposition will do just that. But just a few times the oppisition have looked away and done their own thing, playing mind games with the ABs.

Ka Mate is the more traditional All Blacks haka dating back to the 1930s. But the actual haka (Ka Mate) dates all the way back to about 1810. Chief Rauparaha was being chased by the enemy when he hid in a food storage pit, underneath a woman’s skirt. This would have been unheard of for a Maori Chief back then, so he thought he was as safe as houses.When he came out from hiding he was relieved to be welcomed by another Maori Chief who was is mate. So Chief Rauparaha did a haka celebrating life over death. This was the birth of Ka Mate. 

The All Blacks haka Ka mate translated is.   It’s life, it’s life……it’s death, it’s death…… this is the man who enabled me to live as I walk towards the sunlight step by step.

                              

Photo: www.allblacks.com