Thursday, July 31, 2008

This is Fierce




I have no idea why, but I am really lovin the haka. It started with my facination of South Pacific culture. The movie Once Were Warriors which was made in New Zealand about a Maori family and featured a scene where the teenage son learned to do a traditional haka. The haka is a tribal dance done by both sexes and all ages is usually performed at important ceremonies. Warriors did a haka before engaging in battle. Those of us in the northern hemisphere may recognize it from rugby games where the teams from Tonga, Samoa and New Zealand do the traditional dance before games as a challenge to the team they are playing. It is great to see the New Zealand All Blacks throw down the gauntlet to the likes of Ireland, Scotland and South Africa, but even better when two south seas teams play each other and both do the haka. The team that begins will end their ceremony with a leap, some slaps, a grimace and of course the traditional sticking out of the tongue. Take that Samoa, you've been served!




If you search You Tube you can find women, Japanese children, Hawaii's football team and a multitude others participating in this type of throwdown. I think that next time some old lady steals my parking spot I will jump out and begin my own haka. These gingerbread guy's haka is pretty fierce too.
For more info check it out here .

5 comments:

Christopher A. Klingler said...

COOL & HAPPY BIRTHDAY DIVA!!!

Hope you have a day as special as you are!!!

XOXO
Chris :)

Big Pissy said...

Awesome!

I'm gonna have to start practicing mine now! :)

Owlfarmer said...

The gingerbread haka is hi-larious. I saw the real thing for the first time on Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations show when he went to New Zealand, and have loved it ever since.

Maybe I could learn it to do in front of my students to motivate them . . . or get a bunch of colleagues together to do it in front of the Prez at an all-school meeting. The possibilities are endless!

A Wild Thing said...

I am so hooked on the movie Once Were Warriors too, if it's on, I watch it...not sure what the fascination is, maybe it's lost cultures and their fight to find self again.

sharon

Judy said...

So glad you didnt mention australia
there. i love watching the haka too - it is so intimidating to other teams - love it.