The Māori Haka: A Powerful Ceremonial Dance of Tradition and Unity

Over the past few weeks one video clip from a New Zealand parliament session has been doing the rounds through social media where a young MP (21 year old, Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke) is delivering her maiden speech. The opening minute or so of this speech is very power packed and intriguing display of what looks like chanting or shouting, but I wasn’t sure what it was or what her intention in saying it meant. <a href="https://www.1news.co.nz/2023/12/13/this-was-not-the-plan-youngest-mp-in-170-years-challenges-govt/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">Here</a> is the video I am talking about. I read about it to find out more and here is what I found. At the very core of Māori culture in New Zealand is a dance that has stood the test of time and come to represent strength, solidarity, and national pride. Over the course of several centuries, the Maori Haka — a traditional ceremonial dance — has transformed into something that is equally at home on the battlefield as in international arenas. <a href="https://heritageo.org/the-m%C4%81ori-haka-a-powerful-ceremonial-dance-of-tradition-and-unity-471f79adcc22">Website</a>