over the last few years the haka has started to be viewed as 'provocative and a bit insulting' by the oposition players and supporters,
its ment to be nothing of the sort.
personaly i didnt like the way they changed it the other year from the "Ka Mate", to the "Kapa o Pango" with that 'throat slitting' gesture at the end. it has a radically different meaning within MÄori culture and haka traditions, specifically the drawing of vital energy into the heart and lungs, and it was bound to be misinterpreted.
In 1905 New Zealand made their first tour of Britain. This was the first time the team were referred to as the All Blacks and this particular team also became known as the 'Originals'. It is uncertain whether they performed a haka before every match, but they at least performed "Ka Mate" before their first test, against Scotland, and before the match against Wales. The Welsh crowd, led by the Welsh team, responded by singing the Welsh national anthem.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haka_of_the_All_Blacks
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haka
"Ka Mate"
Leader: Ringa pakia! Slap the hands against the thighs!
Uma tiraha! Puff out the chest!
Turi whatia! Bend the knees!
Hope whai ake! Let the hip follow!
Waewae takahia kia kino! Stamp the feet as hard as you can!
Leader: Ka mate, ka mate âTis death, âtis death (or: I may die)
Team: Ka ora, ka ora âTis life, âtis life (or: I may live)
Leader: Ka mate, ka mate âTis death, âtis death
Team: Ka ora, ka ora â Tis life, âtis life
All: TÄnei te tangata pÅ«huruhuru This the hairy man that stands here...
NÄna nei i tiki mai whakawhiti te rÄ â¦who brought the sun and caused it to shine
Ä upane, ka upane A step upward, another step upward
Ä upane, ka upane A step upward, another step upward
Whiti te rÄ, hÄ«! The sun shines!
"Kapa o Pango"
Kapa o Pango kia whakawhenua au i ahau! All Blacks, let me become one with the land
Hī aue, hī!
Ko Aotearoa e ngunguru nei! This is our land that rumbles
Au, au, aue hÄ! Itâs my time! Itâs my moment!
Ko Kapa o Pango e ngunguru nei! This defines us as the All Blacks
Au, au, aue hÄ! Itâs my time! Itâs my moment!
I ÄhahÄ!
Ka tū te ihiihi Our dominance
Ka tū te wanawana Our supremacy will triumph
Ki runga ki te rangi e tū iho nei, tū iho nei, hī! And be placed on high
Ponga rÄ! Silver fern!
Kapa o Pango, aue hī! All Blacks!
Ponga rÄ! Silver fern!
Kapa o Pango, aue hÄ«, hÄ! All Blacks!
i still get a giggle watching the skinny white boys do it when i'm over there though.
