Kapa O Pango

I hope you guys don't feel all this rugby and haka stuff is boring, as I really like to include them because of their close ties with New Zealand identity. That's my fascination with it.

The haka that was done at the match I attended in Wellington last week is officially called Kapa O Pango. Up until it's introduction, the traditional haka for the All Blacks (at least in recent years) was the Ka Mate haka. However, as more peoplehave become familiar with it and imitate it, the original meaning behind it had become diluted, so the All Blacks then had Kapa O Pango created for them. They embraced the writing of the new haka because they'd become disillusioned at the over-commercialisation of the Ka Mate haka. They were doing it for TV ads, those sorts of things.

It's interesting to note the fair bit of controversy surrounding the Kapa O Pango since it has been introduced, particularly in the last couple of weeks.

Brief articles about it here and here.

I'm pretty happy that I actually got to see it done in person. The Ka Mate would have been cool, although just a bit of a novelty. Seeing the Kapa O Pango and not knowing it by heart (as most people do with Ka Mate) made it more thrilling and intimidating and electrifying, and you really get a sense of what haka is in the first place: a challenge and a way of intimidating the other side.

Controversy aside, the All Blacks played the Wallabies last night for the Bledisloe Cup. Guess who won?

Mmm-hmmm. Ka Mate indeed.