Heritage in Aotearoa New Zealand

Māori Haka

Haka is a Māori posture dance combining rhythmic body percussion, vigorous physical movement, and chanted or sung text to project collective intent, spiritual power, and community identity. It is performed in contexts ranging from welcoming visitors to challenging adversaries to mourning the dead — a multi-purpose communicative tradition whose texts encode genealogical knowledge, historical narrative, and philosophical statement.