Maori tribe tells anti-vaxxers to stop using haka

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Wellington: The Maori tribe that owns rights to the "Ka Mate" haka told anti-vaccine protesters on Monday (Nov 15) to stop performing the famous ritual at demonstrations.

The Ngati Toa - a tribe or iwi in Maori - is recognised under New Zealand law as the cultural guardian of the Ka Mate haka, which has featured prominently at recent protests against coronavirus-related restrictions.

"Ngati Toa condemns the use of the Ka Mate haka to push and promote anti-COVID-19-vaccination messages," the tribe, based just outside Wellington, said in a statement.

"We insist that protesters stop using our taonga (cultural treasure) immediately."

Maori haka come in many forms but Ka Mate - which has been performed by the All Blacks ahead of rugby Test matches for more than a century - is by far the best known.

The foot-stomping, eye-rolling ritual is firmly entrenched in New Zealand culture and is often used at significant social events such as weddings or funerals.

Ka Mate is Ngati Toa's haka, composed by the warrior chief Te Rauparaha around 1820 to celebrate his escape from a rival tribe's pursuing war party.

Parliament passed a law in 2014 recognising Ngati Toa as custodians of the haka, although the legislation does not include penalties if it is misused.

The iwi has previously spoken out against commercialisation of the haka and versions that satirise or disrespect the ritual.

Ngati Toa chief executive Helmut Modlik criticised anti-vaccine protesters for putting individual wishes ahead of the greater good.

"Many of our tupuna (ancestors) lost their lives in previous pandemics and our iwi suffered greatly," he said.

"We are absolutely clear that the COVID-19 vaccine is the best protection we have available to us, and we are committed to supporting our whanau (family) to get vaccinated as soon as possible."

elgigantedelsur on November 15th, 2021 at 06:38 UTC »

For those who want the story - this is from the actual law that parliament passed:

https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2014/0018/latest/DLM5954438.html

Te Rauparaha was a pretty interesting figure who looked large both in history and in the popular imagination around Cook Strait/ Te Moana Raukawa. Well worth learning more about

NorthernGamer71 on November 15th, 2021 at 04:13 UTC »

Yeah, these people aren’t good at following instructions

autotldr on November 15th, 2021 at 04:01 UTC »

This is the best tl;dr I could make, original reduced by 70%. (I'm a bot)

Wellington: The Maori tribe that owns rights to the "Ka Mate" haka told anti-vaccine protesters on Monday to stop performing the famous ritual at demonstrations.

The Ngati Toa - a tribe or iwi in Maori - is recognised under New Zealand law as the cultural guardian of the Ka Mate haka, which has featured prominently at recent protests against coronavirus-related restrictions.

Maori haka come in many forms but Ka Mate - which has been performed by the All Blacks ahead of rugby Test matches for more than a century - is by far the best known.

Extended Summary | FAQ | Feedback | Top keywords: haka#1 Ngati#2 Mate#3 Toa#4 tribe#5