The use of haka in popular culture is a growing phenomenon, especially in New Zealand. Traditionally, haka were used only in Māori cultural contexts, but today haka are used in a wide range of public occasions to impart a sense of the importance of the event.
Sports teams with Polynesian influence around the world have picked up on the haka trend. From youth to adult teams many Rugby, Australian Rules Football, & American Football organizations have adopted the cultural tradition. Sports teams who perform a haka before international matches do so not only as a reflection of the importance of the game that is about to be played but also to motivate themselves and their supporters to greater efforts; indirectly then, as in days of old on the Māori battlefield, they are paying a compliment to the perceived skills of their opponents.
BYU Haka/Controversy
The "Ka Mate" Haka has become well-known in the Mountain West Conference, and among the fans and opponents of the Brigham Young University football team. Prior to the BYU Cougars taking on Boston College, their season-opener in 2005, the Cougars instituted a new tradition when they performed the "Ka Mate" Haka. Minutes before kickoff, members of the BYU football team lined up on the southeast corner of the field and performed "Ka Mate" for a stadium full of cheering fans.
Planned and prepared under a tight veil of secrecy for months, this new tradition was inspired by Bryce Mahuika, the team’s only player of Maori decent, who had recently lost his father, Michael K. Mahuika (the son of Napi Mahuika, chief of the Maori Ngati Porou tribe). As a boy, Michael K. Mahuika, his father's oldest son and next in line to become the chief of his tribe, was taught everything about his tribe's culture.
When he attended the Church College of Hawaii, now Brigham Young University Hawaii, he was employed at the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC), where he performed haka and other dances of his people at the Maori Village for tourists. He passed these cultural dances on to his children, teaching them how important they were to his people and his forefathers. On March 27, 2005, Michael K. Mahuika died in Vancouver, Washington; Hodgkin's lymphoma had finally won. Over a thousand mourners attended his funeral, including Curtis Brown, Brigham Young University's star running back, to honor the fallen chief. Kyle and Bryce Mahuika, his sons, led them in a haka at the gravesite prior to lowering Michael K. Mahuika's casket into the ground.
After returning from his father's funeral, Bryce Mahuika attended a team meeting where Bronco Mendenhall, the head coach, asked the team for personal requests that might help the team reach their goals in 2006. Bryce Mahuika went up to the front to thank everybody for their support, when he had the idea to do the Haka to fire up the crowd and prepare for football games. He explained the origins and significance of the Haka to the team, and they enthusiastically supported the idea.
On September 03, 2005, the BYU Football team instituted the new tradition, and a little over a year later, on November 18, 2006, the Cougars became undefeated (in conference play) Mountain West Conference champions. The BYU Cougars went on to win the rest of their games that season, including crushing the Oregon Ducks 38-8 in the Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas Bowl.
There have been two occasions where the BYU Haka caused a near-altercation with the opposition. Both incidents flared because of perceptions that the haka was directed at the opposing team, rather than serving a more benign role of exciting the team and fans. The first instance was before BYU's game against rival University of Utah in 2005, when the team did the dance while facing the opposing team instead of in front of a student body.
The second incident occurred during a shared pep-rally at the Fremont Street Experience before the 2006 Las Vegas Bowl against the University of Oregon. According to media reports, several BYU players performed the dance, provoking one of Oregon's Polynesian players to jump a crowd barrier. The player later explained his motivation, "They looked right at us. It would have been different if it had been on stage intended for everybody. Instead, it felt like it was intended for us." Although the confrontation was heated, it didn't turn violent, and BYU quarterback John Beck later apologized for any perceived disrespect.
In an interesting departure from their normal pre-game "Ka Mate" performance, on Saturday, 25 November, 2006, the Brigham Young University Cougars performed "Ka Mate" both prior to their historic rivalry football game with the University of Utah, and upon winning a come-from-behind, extremely hard-fought game, breaking Utah's four-year winning streak in the series, BYU's football team performed an additional impromptu rendition of "Ka Mate" to the delight of their fans in attendance.
UH Haka/Controversy
During a hugely successful 2006 football season, it became tradition for the University of Hawaii Warriors football team to perform the Haka. Typically, the Warriors performed their version of the "Kapa O Pango" haka 20 minutes before the opening kickoff. After home wins, the team also performed a post-game version. However, before its final regular season game against Oregon State, the team was alerted by a university professor that the team may be infringing upon a copyright by performing the dance. The team ended up doing a 'variation' of the Haka before the Oregon State game, and plans on unveiling a 'new haka' before the team's Hawaii Bowl appearance against Arizona State on December 24. The All-Blacks rugby team does their Haka with permission from Ngati-Toa tribe.
Through a spokeswoman, Hawaii's athletic director said: "Our legal department is looking into the issue. We don't believe we're violating any copyright laws at this time." Players on the team add that their version of the dance is not 'step for step' with the All-Blacks Haka.
While team has adopted the Kapa O Pango as its game day ritual haka. It must be noted that the words speak of a black jersey, which is the official home color of the UH Warriors, the black jersey in this case refers specifically to the All Black jersey. The haka also specifically mentions "Aotearoa", which Maori for New Zealand, and "Ponga-Ra" meaning silver fern, both not applicable to the University of Hawai'i football team. 2006 Heisman Trophy Candidate Quarterback Colt Brennan was also filmed saying that he was learning the Samoan words to the haka when the haka is clearly Maori. (It should noted that Brennan meant learning Samoan would assist him in learning to pronounce the Maori words, not that this haka was in Samoan. Also the Warriors do not say "Aotearoa" or New Zealand when they perform their version).
On December 24, 2006 the University of Hawaii Warriors did perform a haka prior to the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl game, however, as stated prior to the game that a new haka would be revealed, the Warriors, did in fact perform their same version of Kapa O Pango as they have done all season with no changes being made to the physical dance. However it should be noted that the chant itself couldn't be identified and it couldn't be confirmed if it remains the same or if certain words were changed to accommodate the team and the university specifically as the haka wasn't televised. There are submitted clips of the Warriors' haka prior to the 2006 Hawaii Bowl game submitted on the popular website "You Tube" but there remains no good footage with quality audio to decipher their chant at that time.
In 2007, linebacker Timo Paepule has now taken the leadership duties of the haka. The Warriors performed their usual version of "Kapa O Pango" for over 4,000 fans in attendance at their annual "Football Ohana Festival" which included a 90-minute practice session.
Paepule was quoted in saying that they plan to adjust the haka down the line before the start of the 2007 fall season. Paepule also noted that the team actually prefers to perform the haka just for themselves and not as an attraction for the team.
UPDATED: University of Hawaii has updated their pre-game/post-game dance to the Hawaiian Ha'a. The Ha'a dance is the Hawaiian equivalent to the Maori Haka.
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