The Invention of Tradition

Lest anyone not take seriously the idea of haka as expression of national identity (and performance of an emerging sense of New Zealand as a “bicultural” nation), here is a platoon from the New Zealand army handing over its responsibilities in the Solomon Islands to an Austalian unit via a traditional powhiri (welcome) ceremony centered on the haka which was recently written for the army.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIeNSacgq08

An “invention” to be sure, but no less a meaningful piece of social action for that.

I have to say, that while I had heard from friends in NZ that the All Blacks had gotten better at the haka over the years, I had no idea how wretched they used to be—that first clip was painful to watch!

Couldnt Ireland have done their traditional ceremony of the 12-pints-of-Heineken-and-a-quick-vomit in response? I guess there wasn’t time.

An “invention” to be sure, but no less a meaningful piece of social action for that.
Rather like the goose-step, another martial peformance tradition invented to bond the boys together in a warm feeling of national pride.

Hearing Iggy and the Stooges linked from a Crooked Timber post makes me happy.

Can I take the usual opportunity to observe that that is “rugby union”, not “rugby”?

Thank you.

I didn’t see that it had been posted on the other thread.

sorry, in the above post, that should read “does *not* quite have the same athletic component…”

Regarding the comparison of the haka to the goose step: NZ won that match too:

http://folksong.org.nz/hokimai/index.html

More seriously, the comparison is interesting, although the differences may be as instructive as the similarities. I don’t know enough about 19th century German politics to speak to what the Goose Step meant in its Prussian context, but the haka these days addresses not simply a martial “national togetherness” but how to conceive of that in a settler state moving towards a postcolonial condition.

People are failing to mention New Zealand’s evident imperialistic and exterminationist intentions. Have you not seen the maps of “Greater New Zealand” stretching from Hawaii to Madagascar, with hapless Australia again reduced to prison-colony status?

Who were the team a few years later who turned their backs on the ABs during the Haka and had a private huddle?

and by the way, why the hell shouldn’t they? It’s one thing to have your ceremony, but quite another to try and demand the level of control that the All Blacks want over what the other team does while you’re doing it. If Wales demanded that all the opposition stood stock still after their warm-up for five minutes while we paraded our goat, the complaints would be coming fairly thick and fast.

21, 24–

Bingo. Team A has the right to stage a fancy psych-out intimidation-dance, but this creates no corresponding obligation on the part of Team B to be psyched out or intimidated, or even watch the bloody thing.

Team B should probably respond with a brief burst of merciless ridicule–pointing, laughing, rolling on the floor, say–and then turn their backs and go on with their own warm-ups.

But there’s surely nothing *wrong* with the advancing-phalanx response. What would the complaint be: it wasn’t respectful? It was intimidating?

In some defense of dsquared: it’s not a powhiri, it’s a challenge to battle, and respecting it involves treating it as such. Mocking the funny folk-dancers would be off. But reverent awe is just the desired response, eyeballing or a “you don’t scare us” shrug are better ways to meet the challenge.

Great quote from the 1999 haka-disruption controversy, linked @26:

“The Haka has been part of a tradition for 100 years,” a World Cup spokesman said. “You can’t just suddenly manufacture things like that.”

Maybe a little off topic but I was watching the ramp procession for a Dutch soldier who had died in combat and the Dutch were playing Amazing Grace on the BAG PIPES! This is the increasing Scottishisation of the worlds militaries. Cultural imperialism in its most insideous form. Certainly this is not a Dutch military tradition. I wonder what is a Dutch military tradition? Perhaps it has been such a long time since a Dutchman has been killed in combat can’t remember the tradition for it.

I’ve often been impressed by how UK military traditions/standards/methods seem to be infused into other militaries around the world. The most glaring is the Navy Blues which are worn by every navy in the world with some slight variation. When you think about it: Why Blue? Camouflage? Why light blue for the Air Forces of the world? Again, do they think that they won’t get hit if they are dressed up in light blue? Why not red, or yellow?

Obligitory Rugby:
Go Canada!

The Welsh actually bring their goat ladyfriend on the field with them? One goat for eleven guys?

Oh. My. God. That’s intimidation.

One goat for fifteen guys.

Well, in the first test of dsquared’s proposition. Italy turns their back on the haka and loses 76-14. It’s one thing to snub it, but you’ve got to be able to back up your decision.

Italian captain Azzurri: “I think we showed the All Blacks too much respect, especially at the beginning of the match.” You lose like that, you show some respect.

Have we really had 40 comments without anyone mentioning this?

the haka predates the military in New Zealand, is mostly performed outside the Army by civilians, and is perfectly likely to appear as a demonstration of support for people and groups opposed to authority.

Hell yes. Haka are a common feature of anti-government protests. The Hikoi against the foreshore and seabed bill had a particularly impressive protest march, culminating with a haka outside Parliament. The “enough is enough” march by Destiny Church’s black-clad stormtroopers (which was likened by bystanders to “a Nuremberg Rally”) did it as well. Schools do it, gangs do it, and drunk kiwis do it in London. It isn’t a military thing at all.

What these Texans lack in choreography, their front man makes up for in ferocity.

I wonder why the haka hasn’t been exported and become a craze in other Western countries?

Ever since the Lambada, they’ve been a bit more circumspect about these kinds of things.
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