Which haka?

November 15, 2016 3:01 PM

Last weekend the Māori All Blacks performed a haka that is unfamiliar to me. Was this in particular respect to Anthony Foley? And where could I get a translation of it or any other information about it?
posted by wilful to Society & Culture (3 answers total)

It was the Kapa o Pango haka. There have been some suggestions that, while it meant as a tribute to Anthony Foley, it was in fact disrespectful, particularly because of the throat-slitting gesture at the end. The Ka Mate haka, used to honour warriors, would perhaps have been more suitable. Ka Mate may be the one you are more familiar with, as it is more often performed by the All-Blacks.
posted by girlgenius at 3:42 PM on November 15, 2016

Response by poster: Girlgenius, I think you're talking about the All Blacks v Ireland game, not the Māori All Blacks v Munster game I linked to. I'm aware of these two hakas and the controversy around that particular one (so glad Ireland won!)
posted by wilful at 3:57 PM on November 15, 2016

Here's an article in the Irish Independent saying it was indeed a tribute to Anthony Foley (in some videos you can see that the jersey they set down has the initials AF). The article says it's the Timatanga haka; here's one translation, and the Māori All Blacks wikipedia article has a tiny bit more on its history.
posted by dorque at 4:11 PM on November 15, 2016 [4 favorites]