A brief overview of the Maori culture and dances.

1. New Zealand
Cultural Dance
Aubree Monson & Danielle Ashby

2. Kapa Haka
Kapa=Row
Haka=Dance

3. Taparahi
http://www.youtube.com/wat
ch?v=J94x3sgI_Ho
• Taparahi Legend
• Taparahi=Haka performed
without weapons
• Most performed Haka…
like the ‘Ka Mate!’
• Few tribes perform the full
‘Ka Mate!’

4. Ka Mate!
• Chanting, stomping, clapping, and slapping create the rhythm of the dance
“Will I die! Will I die!
Will I live! Will I live!
(Repeat)
This is the hairy man who fetched the sun
and caused to shine again.
One upward step, another upward step
An upward step
The sun shines!”

5. Expression of the Eyes
• Pukana=Dilation of the
eyes
• Whakatea=Showing the
whites of the eyes
• Used to intimidate and
show intensity of dancers
• Takes years of practice…
exercises done to master
technique

7. Facial Expressions
• Expressions of the eyes and
tongue are key components of
what makes a “good” haka a
“great” haka
• Weru=Pouting or projecting
the lips
• Potete=A grimace
• Used to taunt the enemy and
emphasize the importance of
certain words being chanted

8. Maori Tattoo
• Moko Patterns
• Personal identity and
expression
• Men: Showed rank or status
• Left side=father’s
ancestry
• Right side=mother’s
ancestry
• Women: Usually outlined
upper lips or chin mojo
(most popular)

9. Haka Peruperu
• Peruperu=Haka performed
with weapons
• The proper war dances
warriors perform before
battle and to celebrate
victories
• http://www.youtube.com/w
atch?v=qvubN_sMl6Y
• Still done today…
• WWI & WWII

10. 3 Types of War Dances
• Wairangi Legend
• Haka Peruperu: The Warriors jump with legs
tucked under them
• Haka Puha: Prepare warriors for battle
• Haka Tutugarahu: Waikato war dance to prepare
for battle

11. Women and
the Haka
• Very Dominant Roles
• Restricted to hip
movement and expression
of the eyes
• Not allowed to vocalize
• Controversy today about
women’s role
• Vocalizing
• Leading
• Is it too masculine?
• First to do it
according to legend

12. Tokelau Fatele

13. Origination
• No record or memory of the history of the dance
• Nothing documented until the 1920’s
• Two Ideas:
• Introduced to Tokelau from Tuvalu
• Originated under the missionary influence as
“action songs” to illustrate and teach Bible
stories.

15. Pokihi: the rhythm behind
Fatele
• Drum-box and small group of instrumentalists
• The “Voice” of the Pokihi
• Western musical assumption: melody instruments
- “voices” and drums - “sound.” Polynesian drums
communicate messages to dancers.
• The tin “apa” - Tokelauans from Nukunonu use
least, because Roman Catholics have least
exposure to it.

17. Tempo Accelerations
• Attainment of high speed - raising
the pitch, increasing the volume,
greater emphasis with dance,
accelerating the tempo
• Group leader and Pokihi
• Vava=fast Vavava=getting faster
• Playing technique - interval of third
• “lua ki te tolu” - two and three
• “tahi ki te lua” - one and two
• “toe tahi” - repeat once more

18. Tu, the Stance
• Fundamental to the technique
of Fatele; “symbolically
important”
• Men’s: feet apart, knees bent,
legs rotated outward, friendly
competition
• Women’s: feet and knees
together, no rotation of legs,
hips very pronounced, sinuous
movement

19. Interpretations
• 1. The excitement of of the acceleration is more striking because of
the calmness that precedes it.
• Only elders in community express themselves forcefully
• 2. Controlled, gradual, but exciting and wild accumulation of speed.
• Increase in speed is directed by the leader and pokihi drummers.
• 3. Used to interpret the dance in sexual terms, but now have
disregarded this notion.
• NO love songs; public affection- parents and children

20. Vocals during Fatele
• Always spontaneous, never
planned
• Encouragement for others to
excel
• Fakamatagia - “inspiration” -
drums inspire
• Women - high pitched yelp with
flick of the head and smile
• Men - produce deeper sound
• ENTHUSIASM

21. Fatele Text
• First element to be created
• Name taken from the first line of text; gestures taken from text
• Written for particular occasion
• Subjects are limitless - NO LOVE
• Haiku-like: awakens memories and produces resonances form the
briefest encounters
• Sometimes text is important, or something irrelevant functioning
• Ihaia and daughter - 127 fatele texts
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsQczxz_jbs

22. Examples of text: Tale of
Alo
Toga aua te piha
Toga aua te vaia
Ka ke ko takuatua
E he maki atua
E he maki tagata
Ka he maki e faha
Lava ko ia
East wind stop the noise
East wind stop the commotion
I will explain to you
It is not a spiritual sickness
It is not a human sickness
But a sickness of the mind
That’s all.

23. Choreography
• Lower body stance and rhythm
marking same for all
• Tala (gestures) different for each text
• Hand, upper body, and head
• Slowness and languid quality - difficult
for beginners; distinguishing factor
• Movements become firmer, bigger,
and more explicit in dynamics
• Amplified gestures: changes in
direction of whole body, dropping to
one knee, or stepping a full circle

24. Choreography continued
• Dance with too many gestures - NOT PLEASING
• Flapping bird - Tuli
• Alternate laterally - left to right- - or move in sequence from low (waist
height) or high (shoulder or head)
• One to four gestures in a line
• Tagi “crying” and pehe “singing”
• Same gestures:
• Women’s - smoother and closer to the body
• Men’s - more angular and spread out

25. Traditional Dress
• Visible sign of the unity of the dancers
• Titi - fiber skirt - both genders
• Singlet - worn by women
• Flowers and leaves
• Scented coconut oil
• Head ornaments: flowers, leaves,
moemoe, the tooth fern, bows on biceps
and ankles (tau-vae)
• Head and Neck-emphasis of
ornamentation
•
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Xh3
Vt1Id30

26. Poi

27. Poi Balls
• http://www.youtube.co
m/watch?v=Gt35JAg3
aXo
• Strength and
Recreation
• Made from flax strings
• Women = Weaving
• Men = Training for
battle

28. Sources
• Gardiner, Wira. Haka A Living Tradition . 2nd edition.
Auckland: A Hodder Moa Book, 2007. Print.
• Whitmore, Robbie. New Zealand In History. N.p., 24 Mar
2014. Web. 23 Mar 2014. <http://history-
nz.org/about.html>.
• Thomas, Allan. New Song and Dance From the Central
Pacific. New York: Pendragon Press, 1-170. Print.
• Hemana, Daisy. "History of Maori POI in New Zealand."
Home of Poi.
http://www.homeofpoi.com/lessons_all/teach/History-of-
Maori-POI-in-New-Zealand-34_293_1947, n.d. Web. 24
Mar 2014.