A history of the Haka

A few weeks ago, Mike and I got to go see the All Blacks play the Australian Wallabies. We got to see a preview of how exciting Rugby World Cup is going to be. Anyway, the All Blacks won, hopefully they can do it again and win the world cup.

For me, the most exciting part of watching the All Blacks play is watching the Haka. The Haka is a warrior dance performed by New Zealand rugby players prior to each match. There are many legends regarding the origin of the Haka so I have compiled them as seen in the picture below:

Okay, so I probably forgot a few things and combined a few facts here and there, but you get the idea.

Below is a video of the Haka at the game we were at. The crowd goes crazy for the Haka, and there is electric energy in the stadium. Traditionally the Haka was not necessarily a war dance but a symbol of two tribes coming together through chants and dance. Today, it is mostly used in sporting events, most notably by the All Blacks and accordingly the usage of the Haka solidifies the All Blacks as a formidable team.