The traditional
War/Celebration dance/song of the
Maori of
New Zealand.
Made much more popular by the fact of the All Blacks now chanting this before each rugby game.
Kamate Kamate Ka Ora Ka Ora
Kamate Kamate Ka Ora Ka Ora
Tenei Te Tangata Puhuru Huru
Nana E Tiki Mai Whaka Whiti Te Ra
A Hupane A Hupane
A Hupane Kupane Whiti Te Ra!
Translation
It is death It is death
It is life It is Life
It is death It is death
It is life It is life
This is the hairy man
Who caused the sun to shine again for me
Up the ladder Up the Ladder
Up to the top
The sun Shines!
As for what it all means, about 140 years ago, a particularly notorious warlike chief named Te Rauparaha of the Ngati Toa tribe (based just North of present day Wellington), was being chased by his enemies. He hid in a kumara pit (the local sweet potato, only much better) and waited in the dark for his pursuers to find him. He heard sounds above and thought he was done for when the top of the pit was opened up and sunshine flooded in. He was blinded and struggled to see those about to slay him, when his sight cleared and he instead saw the hairy legs of the local chief (reputed to have been exceptionally hirsute) who had hid him. Te Rauparaha is said to have jumped from the pit and performed this haka on the spot, so happy was he to have escaped. Undoubtedly, he also had in his mind to do a little pursuing of his own --- Te Rauparaha being that way inclined was he.