Haka may be a powerful tool used by New Zealand’s All Blacks to gain advantage over their rugby opponents, but its origins lie in a rather hilarious story of a Maori tribal chief whose crafty plan helped him escape certain death.
The story dates back to the early 19th century, when Te Rauparaha, head of the Ngati Tia iwi clan, was being chased by his enemies. He is said to have cunningly hid in a food-storage container under the skirt of a woman.
This was an improbable thing to do, but it kept the chieftain safe and he later conjured up the lines of the ‘Ka Mate’, which became the original haka.
Its words have since been changed – precisely two years ago – to reflect the ideologies of sport and those of the All Blacks rugby squad in particular. But the intention of the haka remains the same and it will always remain a tool the Kiwis use to wind up their opponents on the field.
Dan Carter, one of the All Blacks’ most promising young stars, feels Kiwi rugby would be meaningless without the haka.
“The haka is definitely a big and integral part of All Blacks rugby culture; it is something that has been carried down generations of All Black teams. Haka is over a century old and it all started with our ancestors,” says the 26-year-old, who recently penned a new deal with French club Perpignan.
“The true meaning of the haka and what it means to the players is a very important part of its tradition and I can tell you there’s a lot of meaning behind it. It’s all about bringing out the youth and strength of a player; things like that.
“We use the energy that flows from us while performing the haka to lift us during games. It is inspirational!”
Carter claims his All Blacks side “don’t perform the haka to gain a psychological advantage” over their opponents.
“When we perform the haka, we’re doing it purely because it is part of New Zealand’s rugby history and tradition; something that has been part of the way we’ve played the sport for centuries.
“It is not done with the intention of trying to get any kind of advantage or to intimidate anyone. When the haka is performed you can see a sense of pride and passion in the players; we do it because we stand up for certain traditions within the sport.
“As far as gaining any kind of advantage over our rivals is concerned, it is better to ask our opponents. People react to it differently; some guys might fear it, while some might use it to motivate themselves against us, like the Portuguese did at last year’s World Cup.”
“On our part, we just do it with our hearts and soul; how our opponents react to it depends entirely on them. If they fear us because of it, then it obviously works to our advantage.”
Carter says the All Blacks have tried to take haka to the world. “We did something real special recently, with adidas producing an advertisement about its history. It was great and people who’ve seen it have learnt a lot from it.”
The Kiwis take on arch-rivals Australia in the second of their two back-to-back Tri-nations Tests tomorrow (August 2).
Competition between these two Trans-Tasman rivals is as old as New Zealand rugby’s association with haka (Ironically, the earliest records of haka reveal it was used against the Aussies; way back in 1884!).
“We are two countries who share a great sporting rivalry; we’re very close to each other and get along pretty well off the field, but once we’re up against each other it’s different.
“There’s always a great atmosphere when you’re up against your historic rivals. This is a real trans-Tasman clash that has built up over the years and you always want to get one over your neighbours.”
It will be interesting to see if Te Rauparaha’s ballad to life and rejuvenation will give them that extra edge over the Wallabies.
