Awesome Haka Videos - New Zealand Maori Haka Is More Than A War Dance

I remember the first time we saw a traditional haka dance in New Zealand. It was exciting. At first I didn't understand that there was much more to this dance than just an ancient tribal custom. Simply translated, haka is any form of Maori dance. Maori are the indigenous people of New Zealand. I am not Maori, I am Pakeha, so this page is written from a non-Maori perspective.

If you are planning a trip to New Zealand you will more than likely visit a Maori cultural event in which haka dances are performed. Haka is used today for a variety of different purposes including greetings, before sporting events, to acknowledge great achievement, at special occasions or just for fun. The traditional Haka "war dance"was performed exclusively by men. However, this is not the case for all types of haka, many of which include women or children.

Here you will predominantly find video clips of the ka mate haka, the most common haka dance seen today. A few videos below are made to be amusing and even include Santa and gingerbread men doing a haka dance.

photo by babasteve used with permission, licensed under creative commons