It doesn't matter what their opponents are wearing. It doesn't really matter who took the field against the New Zealand All Blacks. The descendants of the Maori will sing and dance a frightening war song to any opponent. This article will focus on the popular nowadays ancient tradition Aborigines of New Zealand - hake.
First, I want to talk a little about the Maori. But not about those that inhabit the "Land of the Long White Cloud" today, but about their warlike ancestors. According to legend, a millennium ago, seven canoes landed on the shores of New Zealand, carrying settlers from East Polynesia. It was they who became the first inhabitants of the island - the seven Maori tribes, thanks to which the island began to form. unique culture, based on the spiritual closeness of the natives with the outside world. But, despite the philosophy of unity with nature, the Maori were very skilled fighters, and their skills were honed in constant wars. The first Europeans to experience the wild hostile temper of the natives were the great travelers: Abel Tasman, and later James Cook.
The bloody civil strife of the Maori has long sunk into oblivion, but one of the military customs is not forgotten and plays a very important role V contemporary culture New Zealand. Capa khaka- this is a whole ritual, which includes dancing, singing, a kind of facial expressions. For the first time, Haku began to be performed by Maori warriors hundreds of years ago: before each battle, they tried to intimidate the enemy with their frightening gestures and screams, goggle eyes and protruding tongues with their furious expression. Later, haku began to be used for peaceful purposes, telling through it about Maori traditions and beliefs. Today haka is an indispensable attribute of public and state events.
There are many different versions in New Zealand traditional dance, there is even an army version. But, generally speaking, Kapa haka is not only a male dance accompanied by unfriendly cries. There are also female direction ancient custom which is called "poi". This is also a dance combined with juggling balls on ropes. Women's haka is naturally more relaxed than men's. Despite the fact that any kind of khaki is respected and revered in New Zealand, ritual singing accompanied by intricate movements has become popular all over the world thanks to the national rugby team.
The New Zealand rugby team was officially established in 1892. And in 1905 the newspaper " daily mail”, after the defeat of the English club by the New Zealanders, nicknamed the team All Blacks
, which can be translated as "absolutely black." So, thanks to their dark uniforms and newspapermen, the national team of Aotearoa - the country of the long white cloud - acquired a sonorous nickname, which, together with the haka that the players perform before each match, has become their hallmark.
For nearly a century since the team's inception, the New Zealand team has been the best in the world, beating everyone and everything. But by the beginning of the twenty-first century, the descendants of the Maori slowed down somewhat: last years trophies elude the All Blacks with enviable regularity. Maybe the whole point is that the opponents are used to the hack and are no longer afraid? The answer is rather negative, because the current performance of the dance is rather a means for New Zealanders to mentally gather and tune in, forgetting about everything that does not concern the game, than a means to intimidate enemies.
It is pointless to talk about how Maori dance haku. It needs to be seen. But what the players are shouting out needs to be said.
Initially, the All Blacks performed the “Ka Mate” haka, or rather a part of it, which tells about the miraculous salvation of a warrior from enemies, which happened thanks to the Sun. I will give two key, in my opinion, passages of this hack:
Ka mate, ka mate! ka ora! ka ora!
Whiti te ra!
This is death, this is death! (or: I will die) This is life! That's life! (or: I will live)
The sun is shining!
At first, the Maori, resigned to a bitter fate, is preparing to meet his death with dignity, but after a moment he joyfully realizes that he will survive and shouts gratitude to the sun god.
In addition to this, invented hundreds of years ago by Chief Rauparahi, the All Blacks have adopted a new Kapa o-Pango ("completely black" in translation), created specifically for them, for the New Zealand rugby team. It does not talk about past exploits of the Maori, but about modern ones: about the desire of athletes to win, defending the honor of the country. One of the gestures of the new khaki speaks eloquently of what the New Zealanders are going to do with the enemy: the movement of the palm that cuts the throat.
The pre-match performance of the khaki by New Zealand players has become an integral part of world rugby. Warlike dances became the property of the world sports culture. Some teams, such as Fiji or Samoa, perform their own dances in response to the All Blacks. And who knows, maybe in the future the fashionable trend today will become an indispensable attribute of any sports competitions. In any case, the descendants of the Maori contribute to this in every possible way, participating in advertising campaigns and popularizing rugby.
In England, the Rugby World Cup is coming to a climax, the third global sporting event after Olympic Games and World Cup. At this tournament, besides the game itself, courageous and honest, beautiful and fair, there is also a very interesting entourage.
Perhaps the most beautiful near-rugby phenomenon is the war dances of the peoples of Oceania, real psychic attacks, most famous for the New Zealand khaki. I have always adored this ritual - as the essence of sports in general, where we project our deepest instinct for killing, hunting, war and aggression, where we build an army and fight, spilling everything that is inside of us into a small clearing.
Where else, if not in rugby, which so authentically and beautifully conveys the symbolism of the battle, could the ritual of a martial dance spread and take root, charging men's hearts much more powerfully than a simple performance of the national anthem before the game?
Few (outside the rugby world) know that, firstly, New Zealanders have more than one haka, and secondly, they are not alone. At the 2011 World Cup, we saw the full extent of this phenomenon. The most famous martial dance, the Ka Mate haka, with which, in fact, it all began, was presented by the All Blacks team three times. A little non-chronologically, I show first how it was in the match with Japan.
(Directly haka starts after 2:00)
Leading the All Blacks is Piri Weepu, the national team's scrum haw who didn't play as much in this World Cup as he would have liked. Piri has Maori and Niuean roots. Other notable characters include insider Ma'a Nonu, shown close-up at 2:40, as well as the edge giant Ali Williams, a lock forward who always plays big role in a hack with great expression.
Hake Ka mate is two hundred years old, and in addition to being used on the rugby field (more than 120 years), it was also used in real wars by New Zealanders - in the Anglo-Boer and World War I (in both, of course, they were recruited by the British). The legend tells us that the author of this hack, Te Rauparaha, was hiding from his enemies while running from his enemies, and when he heard the hype over his shelter in the pit, he already began to say goodbye to life, thinking that his enemies had found him. Someone moved the roof over the pit, and bright sunlight blinded a desperate Maori. However, instead of enemies, moments later, he saw his savior - Te Whareangi (whose name meant Hairy Man), or rather his hairy legs. I am telling all this so that the meaning of the khaki, invented and sung for the joys of the saved, is clearer.
First, the leader sings, organizing and setting up his team:
Ringa pakia! Hands on the belt!
Uma tiraha! Chest forward!
Turi whatia! Bend your knees!
Hope whai ake! Hips forward!
Waewae takahia kia kino! Stomp your feet as hard as you can!
Ka mate, ka mate! ka ora! ka ora! I'm dying! I'm dying! I'm alive! I'm alive!
Ka mate! ka mate! ka ora! ka ora! I'm dying! I'm dying! I'm alive! I'm alive!
Tēnei te tangata pūhuruhuru But here is the Hairy Man
Nāna nei i tiki mai whakawhiti te rā He brought the sun and kindled it.
Ah, upane! ka upane! Step forward! one more step forward!
Ā, upane, ka upane, whiti te ra! Step up! Against the sun!
Hi! Arise!
As you understand, the text of this hack, briefly retelling the moment miraculous salvation Te Rauparaha, has also bright enough symbolic overtones, expressing the eternal cult of the Sun, dawn, the cyclic change of day and night, death and life, and is a strong life-affirming appeal. Naturally, the text itself does not carry such semantic load, as in combination with the expression of performing haku. Ka mate is perhaps my favorite of the martial dances, especially the rhythmic “Ka mate, ka mate! Ka ora, ka ora!”
Kiwi is not the only team demonstrating a combat dance. Other nations of Oceania also have these - Tonga, Fiji, Samoa (many often call them hakas, but this is incorrect - haka is only a Maori tradition). The lot brought together 4 ocean teams in this World Cup into two groups - A and D, allowing us to see two “duels” of martial dances. The All Blacks' match against Japan was in the second round in Group A, with New Zealand and Tonga playing in the opening match. I deliberately describe it later in order to take a closer look at the ritual of the Tongans first. Their battle dances are called Kailao and one of them is Sipi Tau, always used by rugby players. Here it is, presented on the eve of the match with Canada (2011).
The flanker Finau Maka (captain) is the soloist here, and to his left is the hooker Aleki Lutui, who also often leads the Tongan Sipi Tau. To be honest, I'm not a big fan of this fight dance, also because the guys seem to be "trying too hard". But the video attached here, in my opinion, demonstrates their best performance at this World Cup.
ʻEi e!, ʻEi ē!
Teu lea pea tala ki mamani katoa
Ko eʻIkale Tahi kuo halofia.
Ke ʻilo ʻe he sola mo e taka
Ko e ʻaho ni te u tamate tangata,
ʻA e haafe mo e tautuaʻa
Kuo huʻi hoku anga tangata.
He! he! ʻEi! Tu.
Te u peluki e molo mo e foueti taka,
Pea ngungu mo ha loto fitaʻa
Te u inu e ʻoseni, pea kana mo e afiKeu mate ai he ko hoku loto.
Ko Tonga pe mate ki he motoKo Tonga pe mate ki he moto.
I am not able to fully translate the text (if anyone has an exact translation, I would be very grateful), but in part the text is like this:
I proclaim to the whole world -
Eagles spread their wings!
Let the stranger and stranger beware
Now I'm a soul eater everywhere
I part with the person in me.
I drink the ocean, I devour the fire
I am calm before death or victory.
With that kind of faith, we Tongans are ready to die.
We are ready to give everything.
At the beginning of the video, you can see how colorfully “inviting” all the teams at this World Cup before the match - as they called the Maori from the mountains in ancient times.
This haka was performed by the team Te Mātārae i Orehu, the current winners of the Maori culture festival Te Matatini, which takes place every two years, a kind of haka championship. (You can draw an analogy with the Rio Sambadrome championship.)
Here is another colorful episode.
Back to New Zealand hacks. In 2005, Maori-born author Derek Lardelli reworked the 1925 haka specifically for the rugby team and presented it as Kapa o Pango, a new ritual for the Kiwi team. This haka has caused and continues to cause controversy due to its provocative and even shocking (according to some) nature.
Kapa o Pango kia whakawhenua au i ahau! All Blacks, connect with the earth!
Ko Aotearoa e ngunguru nei! Here is our roaring land!
Ko Kapa o Pango e ngunguru nei! Here we are - All Blacks!
Au, au, aue ha! This is my time, my moment!
Ka tū te ihiihi Our reign
Ka tū te wanawana Our superiority will prevail
Ki runga ki te rangi e tū iho nei, tū iho nei, hī! And rise up!
Pong ra! Silver fern!
Kapa o Pango, aue hī! All Blacks!
Kapa o Pango, aue hī, hā!
A silver fern on a black background is a symbol of New Zealand, even offered as national flag, and All Blacks is the traditional name of the rugby team, which I did not translate from English, because there it has already acquired a stable use (meaning it is All Black or something like that).
Even in the text you can see striking difference this aggressive hack from the life-affirming Ka Mate. But the words here are still flowers compared to gestures. Here is a representation of this hack in the group match against France.
The first time (in 2005) the legendary captain Tana Umanga led the performance of this haki, but here we see no less expression in Piri Veepu. But what is even more shocking is the last gesture, which Ali Williams demonstrated, you probably noticed. Of course, the New Zealand Rugby Union tried to clarify that in Maori symbolism it means something other (positive) than cutting the throat and hinting at killing the enemy, which is obvious to the rest of the world, but the world community as a whole remained unconvinced.
Here it must be clarified that Kapa o Pango was not intended to replace Ka Mate, but only to “complement” it, being presented “on special occasions”. At this World Cup, the Kiwis have played six matches so far - four in the group and two in the playoffs, and special occasions there were a quarter-final, a semi-final and a group match against France. And why the group match with France, some of you will ask. But because New Zealand was extremely disappointing and in many ways unexpectedly lost to them in the playoffs in 1999 and 2007, and now it sharpens its teeth on them. Therefore, an extra emotional recharge was required. New Zealanders confidently won 37-17.
But back to our rituals. In group D, two ocean teams of strong middle peasants met - Fiji and Samoa.
First, the fighting dance of Fiji - simbi (Cibi).
Ai tei vovo, tei vovo Get ready!
E ya, e ya, e ya, e ya;
Tei vovo, tei vovo Get ready!
E ya, e ya, e ya, e ya
Rai tu mai, rai tu mai Attention! Attention!
Oi au a virviri kemu bai I'm building a wall of war!
Rai tu mai, rai ti mai
Oi au a virviri kemu bai
Toa yalewa, toa yalewa Rooster and hen
Veico, veico, veico Attack, attack!
Au tabu moce koi au I can't sleep now
Au moce ga ki domo ni biau At the sound of the breaking waves.
E luvu koto ki ra nomu waqa Your ship will not live!
O kaya beka au sa luvu sara And don't think you'll drag us away too!
Nomu bai e wawa mere Your reservation is just waiting
Au tokia ga ka tasere That I will destroy her!
Here's what it looked like in Fiji's match against Namibia.
Frankly, I'm not sure that the above text is pronounced here, at least in the second part. Starts center Seremaia Bai (Seremaia Bai).
And here is the Samoa team (known as Manu Samoa) in the match with Wales.
The combat dance of Samoa is called Siva Tau.
Le Manu Samoa e ua malo ona fai o le faiva,
le manu samoa e ia malo ona fai o le faiva
Le Manu Samoa lenei ua ou sau
Leai se isi Manu oi le atu laulau
Ua ou sau nei ma le mea atoa
O lou malosi ua atoatoa Ia e faatafa ma e soso ese
Leaga o lenei manu e uiga ese
Le Manu Samoa e o mai I Samoa Le Manu!
Manu Samoa, let's succeed!
Manu Samoa, here we are!
There is no such command of Manu!
We are fully prepared
Our forces are at their peak.
Step aside and make way
Because this command of Manu is unique.
Manu Samoa,
Manu Samoa,
Manu Samoa reigns from Samoa!
Captain hooker Mahonri Schwalger leads the Samoans in this video. In general, I must say that I really love this martial dance, and perhaps this is my favorite along with Ka Mate. The rhythmic “le manu samoa e ia malo ona fai o le faiva” especially turns on, pay attention to the video.
The operator did not show well here, but you realized that the Fiji began their ritual without waiting for the end of the Samoan. Well, I don’t know, maybe that’s how they do it, but I don’t like it. As you noted above, in the match between New Zealand and Tonga, the kiwi waited.
Here, in fact, you saw 5 different ritual dances. In my personal chart, Ka Mate and Manu Siva Tau are tied for number one, with Kailao Sipi Tau and Cibi trailing behind. And in yours?
P.p.s. Thanks to everyone for the corrections, comments and additions.
Escorted by teachers.
Haka (Maori haka) is a ritual dance of the New Zealand Maori, during which the performers stomp their feet, beat their thighs and chest, and shout out the accompaniment.
The word "haka" in the Maori language means "dance in general", as well as "song accompanying the dance." Haka cannot be attributed solely to "dances" or "songs": in the words of Alan Armstrong, haka is a composition in which each instrument - arms, legs, body, tongue, eyes - performs its own part.
The characteristic details of the hack - the dance is performed simultaneously by all participants and is accompanied by grimaces. The grimaces (movements of the eyes and tongue) are very important, and they determine how well the dance is performed. The women who performed the haka did not stick out their tongues. Non-military haka may contain wave-like movements of the fingers or hands. The leader of the dance (male or female) calls out one or two lines of text, after which the rest respond in unison with a chorus
Dance at the wedding
Players of the New Zealand national rugby team before their first match of the 2015 World Cup against Argentina performed the traditional national haka ritual dance. An impressive performance helped, and the All Blacks took the win 26-16. And this YouTube video has been viewed more than 145,000 times in two days:
There are several different legends about the origin of hack. According to one of them, this dance was first performed by women who were looking for a certain Kae, who killed a whale that belonged to the leader of the tribe. The women didn't know what he looked like, but they knew he had crooked teeth. Kae was among other people, and in order to identify him in the crowd, the women performed a funny dance with comical movements. Seeing the haku, Kae laughed and was recognized.
Haka was performed mainly in the evening for entertainment; there were purely male haka, women's, children's, as well as suitable for adults of both sexes. Also, with the help of this dance, guests were welcomed. Welcoming dances usually began militantly, since the greeters did not know the intentions of the arrivals. It was with this militant dance that the armed Maori greeted James Cook in 1769.
Christian missionary Henry Williams wrote: “It is necessary to ban all old customs, dances, singing and tattoos, the main local orgy. In Auckland people like to gather big companies in order to demonstrate their terrifying dances. Over time, the attitude towards dances on the part of Europeans improved, haku began to be regularly performed during the visits of the royal family.
In the 21st century, haka is regularly performed in armed forces New Zealand. Twice a year, since 1972, a festival-competition in haka Te Matatini (Maori Te Matatini) has been held. WITH late XIX century rugby teams perform this dance before the competition, in the 2000s this tradition caused much controversy and accusations of the "All Blacks" in the "devaluation" of the haka
See you off to last way dead soldier.
To intimidate the enemy, Maori warriors lined up, began to stomp their feet, bare their teeth, stick out their tongues, made aggressive movements towards the enemy, provocatively slapped their hands, feet, torso, scary voice shouted out the words of a song that strengthened the Maori spirit. The dance helped the warriors gain determination to fight, self-confidence and for many years was the best way prepare for battle with the enemy.
An ancient ritual still produces today strong impression- it feels the primitive strength, the power of man, and, despite the fact that haka has become a peaceful dance, performed by scantily clad men in right time and in right place she may well lead into a trance - well, at least girls and women.
From about 1500 BC. peoples inhabiting the islands of the southern part Pacific Ocean- Polynesians, Melanesians, Micronesians, in search of living space, moved from island to island of Oceania, until about 950 AD. did not reach its southern tip - New Zealand. There were many tribes that inhabited the expanses of Oceania, and although sometimes the languages \u200b\u200bof neighboring tribes were similar, more often this was not the rule - and therefore driving the enemy away with the words: “leave my land, otherwise it will hurt” usually did not work.
Although the haka dance was born in an indefinitely distant historical times, scientists have their own version of its origin. The life of the ancient people inhabiting Oceania was full of dangers, one of the most serious of them is the neighborhood of wild animals, the means of protection against which nature did not give man. It is difficult to run away from a fast animal, a person's teeth cannot protect him from the teeth of a predator, and hands are a ridiculous defense against terrible paws.
It was easy and almost instantly to climb a tree, like a monkey, a person did not succeed, and a predator does not always attack in the forest, but a person succeeded in throwing stones at him, like the same monkeys, later a big stick went into action - a person continued to invent non-contact methods of protection. One of them was a scream. On the one hand, it was a rather dangerous occupation: the sound attracted predators, but, on the other hand, with the right intonation, it could scare them away, however, like people, both during the attack and during the defense.
How more group people shouting threats, the stronger the screams merge into a general hubbub. To make the words sound clearer and the sounds louder, it was necessary to achieve synchronization of the cries. It turned out that this method is better suited not so much for intimidating the enemy, but for preparing the attacking side for battle. In a mild form, he added a sense of unity, in an aggravated one, he brought it to a state of trance. Trance, as you know, is called an altered state of consciousness, but during trance, the state also changes. nervous system man and his body chemistry. In a trance, a person does not feel fear and pain, does not question the orders of the group leader, becomes integral part collective, losing its own individuality. In a state of trance, the individual is ready to act in the interests of the group, up to sacrificing it own life.
To achieve the same result, not only the rhythmic songs and dances of the natives worked, but also part of the rituals performed before and after the battle, war paint or tattoos (for Maori - ta moko). History has enough evidence for this theory - from historical sources, before psychological tricks used in modern military forces.
Let's see, for example, what the Pictish warriors looked like - men and women. They went into battle in the nude, as their body was covered with a fearsome battle tattoo. The Picts not only frightened appearance enemy, but also, seeing the magical symbols on the bodies of their comrades, they felt unity with them and were filled with a fighting spirit.
Here's another one, more modern version creating a single whole from separate individuals. These are the works of Arthur Mole, the author of the most massive photographs. The British photographer began creating his photographs in American Zion (Illinois), at the end of the First World War and continued his work after it, when the internal politics of all major countries of the world was set to rise in patriotism: the world lived in anticipation of the Second World War, and the “group leaders” developed in individuals the readiness to act in the interests of the group, up to sacrificing their own lives to it, and also not to question the orders of the leaders of the group.
American soldiers and officers gladly followed the orders of the director of filming, shouted out to him from an 80-foot observation tower. It was interesting activity: tens of thousands of people learned to turn into one, it was a pleasant experience: the collective energy was directed to a still peaceful channel.
Haka also found its place in peaceful life. In 1905, the New Zealand rugby team "All Blacks" during the warm-up in England performed haka, although it included not only Maori, but also white players. Although some of the British spectators were taken aback by the dance and expressed their outrage, most appreciated the power of the ritual and how it rallied and set the players and their fans.
One version of the khaki text from "All Blacks" sounds like this:
Or death! Or death! Or life! Or life!
With us is the man
Who brought the sun and made it shine.
Step up, another step up
Step up, another step up
Until the shining sun.
A little explanation of the translation. Ka mate! ka mate! ka ora! ka ora! – literally translated “This is death! This is death! That's life! This is life!”, but I think it means “Life or death” or “Die or win”.
I translated tangata pūhuruhuru as "that person is with us", although I should have written simply " hairy man”, because tangata is, indeed, a person, although in the Maori language a person cannot be just a person, an explanation is definitely needed - who exactly is meant, in this case it is a person pūhuruhuru - “covered with hair”. Together it turns out - "hairy man." But the following text suggests that tangata whenua is meant - it is both an aborigine and the first person, a great man - since the aborigines themselves call themselves that, but one of the meanings of whenua is "placenta", it is "proto-", and even part of the word "Earth" (hua whenua).
Well, by the way, those who are dissatisfied with my translation can try to make their own using the Māori-English Dictionary.
It is symbolic that for the first time the haka was performed by rugby players in England. As you know, New Zealand was colonized by the British in the mid-1800s. And if earlier the Maori used haka to prepare for an intertribal war, then during the years of British oppression it helped to raise the spirit in uprisings against the Europeans. Alas, dancing is a poor defense against firearms. Britain is a country whose hands in foreign blood are not up to the elbow, but up to the ears, it is no stranger to the resistance of the local population, and as a result, by the beginning of the 20th century most of Maori land was in the hands of Britain, and the local population did not reach 50 thousand people.
By the way, haka is a dance performed without weapons, but the Maori also have ritual dances with weapons - with spears or clubs - each of them has its own corresponding name, there are also several varieties of khaki itself, which you can get acquainted with on the site, which is called: Haka, as well as on a site dedicated to the history of New Zealand and its customs.
Haka is not the only war dance of the peoples of Oceania, for example, the warriors of the Tongan archipelago performed the Sipi Tau dance, the Fuji warriors - Teivovo, the Samoan warriors - Cibi, they are somewhat similar, somewhat independent. It is also easiest to see these dances today at rugby championships.
Haka is the dance of war. To intimidate the enemy, Maori warriors lined up, began to stomp their feet, bare their teeth, stick out their tongues, made aggressive movements towards the enemy, provocatively slapped their hands, feet, torso, shouted out the words of a song strengthening the Maori spirit in a terrible voice.
The dance helped the warriors gain determination to enter the battle, self-confidence and for many years was the best way to prepare for the battle with the enemy.
From about 1500 BC. the peoples inhabiting the islands of the South Pacific Ocean - Polynesians, Melanesians, Micronesians, in search of living space moved from island to island of Oceania, until about 950 AD. did not reach its southern tip - New Zealand.
There were many tribes that inhabited the expanses of Oceania, and although sometimes the languages \u200b\u200bof neighboring tribes were similar, more often this was not the rule - and therefore driving the enemy away with the words: “leave my land, otherwise it will hurt” usually did not work.
Although the haka dance was born in vaguely distant historical times, scientists have their own version of its origin. The life of the ancient people inhabiting Oceania was full of dangers, one of the most serious of them is the neighborhood of wild animals, the means of protection against which nature did not give man. It is difficult to run away from a fast animal, a person's teeth cannot protect him from the teeth of a predator, and hands are a ridiculous defense against terrible paws.
It was easy and almost instantly to climb a tree, like a monkey, a person did not succeed, and a predator does not always attack in the forest, but a person succeeded in throwing stones at him, like the same monkeys, later a big stick went into action - a person continued to invent non-contact methods of protection.
One of them was a scream. On the one hand, it was a rather dangerous occupation: the sound attracted predators, but, on the other hand, with the right intonation, it could also scare them away, however, like people, both during the attack and during the defense.
The larger the group of people shouting threats, the stronger the screams merge into a general hubbub. To make the words sound clearer and the sounds louder, it was necessary to achieve synchronization of the cries. It turned out that this method is better suited not so much for intimidating the enemy, but for preparing the attacking side for battle.
In a mild form, he added a sense of unity, in an aggravated one, he brought it to a state of trance. Trance, as you know, is called an altered state of consciousness, but during trance the state of the human nervous system and the chemistry of his body also change.
In a trance, a person does not feel fear and pain, does not question the orders of the leader of the group, becomes an integral part of the team, losing his own individuality. In a state of trance, the individual is ready to act in the interests of the group, up to sacrificing his own life to it.
To achieve the same result, not only the rhythmic songs and dances of the natives worked, but also part of the rituals performed before and after the battle, war paint or tattoos (for Maori - ta moko). History has enough evidence for this theory - from historical sources, to psychological techniques used in modern armed forces.
Let's see, for example, what the Pictish warriors looked like - men and women. They went into battle in the nude, as their body was covered with a fearsome battle tattoo. The Picts not only frightened the enemy with their appearance, but also, seeing the magical symbols on the bodies of their comrades, felt unity with them and were filled with a fighting spirit.
Here is another, more modern version of creating a single whole from separate individuals. These are the works of Arthur Mole, the author of the most massive photographs.
The British photographer began creating his photographs in American Zion (Illinois), at the end of the First World War and continued his work after its end, when the domestic politics of all major countries of the world was tuned to raise patriotism: the world lived in anticipation of the Second World War, and "leaders groups" developed in individuals the readiness to act in the interests of the group, up to sacrificing their own lives to it, and also not to question the orders of the leaders of the group.
American soldiers and officers gladly followed the orders of the director of filming, shouted out to him from an 80-foot observation tower. It was an interesting activity: tens of thousands of people learned to turn into one, it was a pleasant experience: the collective energy was directed to a still peaceful channel.
Haka also found its place in peaceful life. In 1905, the New Zealand rugby team "All Blacks" during the warm-up in England performed haka, although it included not only Maori, but also white players.
Although some of the British spectators were taken aback by the dance and expressed their outrage, most appreciated the power of the ritual and how it rallied and set the players and their fans.
One version of the khaki text from "All Blacks" sounds like this:
Ka mate, ka mate! ka ora! ka ora!
Ka mate! ka mate! ka ora! ka ora!
Tēnei te tangata pūhuruhuru Nāna nei i tiki mai whakawhiti te rā
Ah, upane! ka upane!
Ā, upane, ka upane, whiti te ra!
In translation:
Or death! Or death! Or life! Or life!
With us is the man
Who brought the sun and made it shine.
Step up, another step up
Step up, another step up
Until the shining sun.
A little explanation of the translation. Ka mate! ka mate! ka ora! ka ora!- literally translates to "This is death! This is death! That's life! This is life!”, but I think it means “Life or death” or “Die or win”.
Тangata pūhuruhuru, translates as “that person is with us,” although she should have written simply “hairy man”, because tangata- this is, indeed, a person, although in the Maori language a person cannot be just a person, an explanation is definitely needed - who exactly is meant, in this case it is a person pūhuruhuru- covered with hair. Together it turns out - "hairy man."
But the following text suggests what is meant tangata whenua- this is both an aborigine and the first person, a great person - since the aborigines themselves call themselves that, but one of the meanings of whenua is “placenta”, it is “proto-”, and even part of the word “Earth” ( hua whenua).
It is symbolic that for the first time the haka was performed by rugby players in England. As you know, New Zealand was colonized by the British in the mid-1800s. And if earlier the Maori used haka to prepare for an intertribal war, then during the years of British oppression it helped to raise the spirit in uprisings against the Europeans.
Alas, dancing is a poor defense against firearms. Britain is a country whose hands in foreign blood are not up to the elbow, but up to the ears, it is no stranger to the resistance of the local population, and as a result, by the beginning of the 20th century, most of the Maori lands were in the hands of Britain, and the local population did not reach and 50 thousand people.
Haka is not the only dance of the war of the peoples of Oceania, for example, the warriors of the Tongan archipelago performed a dance Sipi Tau, Fuji warriors - Teivovo, warriors of Samoa - Cibi They are somewhat similar, somewhat independent. It is also easiest to see these dances today at rugby championships.
Today, haka is not only a warm-up dance for the All Blacks, today it is a symbol of New Zealand's unity. The dance is performed on public holidays, cultural events, he even returned to the battlefield - there are photographs of Maori performing haka during World War II in Helwan, specifically at the request of King George II of Greece. Today ritual haka female soldiers also perform, starting and ending their performance with it. So the most terrible dance, the dance of war, the male dance became a symbol of equality and peace.
The ancient ritual still makes a strong impression today - it feels the primitive strength, the power of man, and, despite the fact that haka has become a peaceful dance, performed by scantily clad men at the right time and in the right place, it may well lead into a trance - well, at least at least girls and women.
