What is kapa haka?

SummaryKapahaka Group established as Te Whānau Mai Tawhiti.
DescriptionThe term Kapa haka (kapa meaning 'rank' or 'row' and haka refers to a Māori dance) is commonly known in Aotearoa as 'Maori Performing Arts' or the 'cultural dance' of Maori people. Kapa haka is an avenue for Maori people to express their heritage and cultural identity through song and dance.

It can be said that Kapa haka dates back to pre-European times where it developed from all traditional forms of Maori pastimes; haka, mau rakau (Maori weaponry), poi (tiny ball attached to rope or string) and moteatea (traditional Maori songs). The significance of these everyday activitites were influential to the development of kapa haka.

A kapa haka performance involves choral singing, dance and movements associated in the hand-to-hand combat practiced by Māori in precolonial times, presented in a synchronisation of action, timing, posture, footwork and sound. The genre evolved out of a combination of European and Māori musical principles.

Note: This article was originally part of the Tauranga Memories website (2011-2020). To your right the 'Archived Kete Link', if present, will take you to a snapshot of the original record. Tauranga Memories was made of several focus areas, called 'baskets'. This article was part of the Te Whanau Mai Tawhiti Kapahaka Group Tauranga basket and uploaded to http://tauranga.kete.net.nz/te_whanau_mai_tawhiti_kapahaka_group_tauranga/topics/show/377 by Te Wahanau Mai Tawhiti on 14/02/2012.

This article underwent 4 edits. Editors included in this case, no one other than the creator.. The original license was: Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 New Zealand License. Please note that articles on Tauranga Memories were often uploaded on behalf of a member of the public, meaning sometimes the author is misattributed to a library staff member. Please contact us if this is the case for an article you authored.

Relates To

OrganisationsTauranga Memories (2011-2021) - OrganisationsKeywordsKapa hakaMāori culture

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AuthorTe Whānau Mai TawhitiType of ContributionCommunity storyTaxonomyStories | OrganisationsStories | Organisations

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What is kapa haka?