Māori kapa haka

The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, describing its annual Taikura Kapa Haka gathering, lists the forms woven together in a performance: waiata (songs), mōteatea (chants), poi (balls on cords) and haka (a ceremonial dance). Te Matatini, the organization behind Aotearoa New Zealand's national kapa haka festival, calls it "a dynamic form of artistic and creative expression" that "showcases the beauty and complexity of Māori performing arts."

Haka is one of those forms. Te Papa describes it as a ceremonial dance, and among its collections records a haka performed as a pōwhiri, a dance of welcome. Within kapa haka, haka sits alongside the waiata, the mōteatea and the poi rather than standing apart from them.

In Aotearoa New Zealand, kapa haka is a celebrated tradition. Te Matatini runs the national festival, first held in Rotorua in 1972 and renamed Te Matatini ("many faces") in 2004; the organization calls it "the largest celebration of traditional Māori performing arts excellence in the world," where groups from New Zealand and Australia compete for the national title. The same organization says kapa haka plays a key role in revitalizing te reo Māori, the Māori language, supports the physical and mental well-being of those who take part, and brings people together across ages and backgrounds.

halau.ca doesn't run classes or speak for the tradition; it points you toward the schools and lets each one tell its own story. The teachers and groups listed here are the authority on how kapa haka is taught and practised. Below are the kapa haka listings in our directory across Canada; reach out to any of them directly to ask about classes, performances or how to get started.