MAORI DANCES AND HAKAS.

Gisborne Times, Volume V, Issue 138, 21 June 1901, Page 2

MAORI DANCES AND HAKAS.

Our telegrams this morning state that the Duke has been taking keen interest in all connected with the Maori customs and legends, and in this respect an article in the Christchurch Press, forwarded to us by tho Times special correspondent, is of special interest. The Press states that Among the many interesting customs of the Maoris, their dances are especially striking and characteristic. Anyono who has seen either a war dance or a haka of welcome knows how very realistic and blood-curdling a performance either can bo made, and will not be surprised that the Duchess found it a little discomposing when a band of seemingly infuriated savages'at Botorua rushed at the Boyal party with brandished weapons and rolling eyes, by way of signifying thoir devotion to the British throne, and their intense delight at seeing their long-ex-pected guests. Among uninstructed Europeans, a haka is looked upon as being a war dance and nothing _ else, but it may be a song and dance of welcome, or even a Maori idyll in song and action. It is not altogether a matter for surprise that uninitiated lookers-on mistake one kind of dance for tho other, seeing that the rolling of eyes, the protruding of tongues, the portentous grunts, and the earthshaking stamps are almost as nerveshaking in a haka of welcome as in a war dance. Shortland, in his “ Traditions of the New Zealanders,” gives the following as a ngeri, or war song, of reputed antiquity: Kia kutia ' Hug close Au, au Au.au Ilia Wherahia Fling abroad (the arms and legs) Au, au Au, au Kia rore That may floe Atu te Away the Kekeno Seal Ki tahiti To a distance Titiro In order to gaze Mai ai This way Ae, ae, ae Yes, yes, yes The way in which this chant is given’, is described by our author as follows : The body of armed men being drawn up in column, four or five abreast, remain for some time in a squatting position, which posture corresponds to the stand-at-ease of our soldiers. Suddenly a signal is given by one of the chiefs, who, standing in front", shouts out a short sentence in a peculiar measured tone, O.n the instant ho arrives at the last word all ?tart on their legs as one man, and the war song and dance commence. Every right hand brandishes a weapon, while the left hands being slapped violently against the naked thighs, in regular time, produce a wild sort of accompaniment to tho song. At the words “ Kia rere,” the movements of the actors become furious. Leaping in the air, and dancing with violent gestures —their features distorted with horrid

grins, their tongues thrust out as far as possible, their eyes rolling upwards, so as to show the white —they resemble what the idea may imagine demons to be rather than human beings. “ Bedlam never produced so horrid a visage,” is a description given by Judge Maning of a Maori leader in one of these performances. Such is the war dance used both to brace up the combatants on one side and to terrify the other. But the description given by Polack of a haka of welcome, in which women as well as men took part, sounds quite as blood-curdling : —“ The distortion of countenance, with the long tresses of hair that often adorn either sex, give them tho appearance of an army of Gorgons, with snake-like looks, as was represented on the iEgis of Pallas. . . . The countenances of all were distorted into every possible shape permitted by the muscles of the human face divine; every new grimace was instantly adopted by all the performers in exact unison ; thus if one commenced screwing his face with a rigidity as if the appliance of a vice had been made use of he was followed instanter by the whole body with a similar gesticulation, so that at tinges the whites of the eyes were only visible, the eyeballs rolling to and fro in their sockets, 1

Altogether, their countenances, aided by the colors with which they had bedaubed themselves, presented so horrible a spectacle that I was fain glad to relieve myself by ' withdrawing my gaze. _ The tonguo was thrust out of the mouth with an extension impossible for a European to copy—early and long practice alone could accomplish it.” This is certainly very like the war dance, but Short! and gives an example of a love-song which comes nearer to our ideas of such productions.- In this the accompanying gesture to the refrain consists in slapping one hand on the breast,, while the other is raised aloft and mado to vibrate, so as to produce on the eye an effect analogous to that of the shake in music. Again, what could bo more tender and appropriate than the following words ?

Ko Tawera te whetu Tawari is the bright star Marama o te ata Of the morning. Whikarite tonu taku Not less boautiful is Huia kai-manawa. the jewel of my heart. Even a haka may be ungallant in its sentiments, however, as witness the following further quotation: — E tore e pai ta te I don’t like tlio wakine "" habits of women lia puta ki to mimi When she goes out Ila kuikui She “ kuilcuis ” Ka koakoa She “ koakoas ” Ka korerorero She chatters Mataku ana to The very ground is whenua terrified Oma oma te kioro And the rats run away Teneki Just so. Possibly this haka led to a war dance later on, but of this we have no documentary evidence. By far the prettiest of all the Maori dances is the “ poi ” dance, which was given in Christchurch by the visiting Maoris at Jubilee time, with charming effect —quite as well, we should imagine, as it could have been given at Rotorua. Poi, we' need hardly explain to those who have seen it, or read Thomson s or Taylor’s description of it, is a game played with variegated balls about the size of oranges, to which strings are attached. The string is hold in one hand and the ball ,'.s struck with the other. The hand holding the string is often clnmgod, the string is shortened and lengthened, and the hall is struck from under the arms and in a variety of ways. The players s{ng songs applicable to the time. It is an extremely beautiful game, when well done, and we have often thought it would be a good thing for European children to learn it. The haka, unfortunately, has its drawbacks, apart from the distortion of visage which it entails. It is. frequently accompanied by gestures which are decidly indelicate, and the words of many of the songs are such that the missionaries did their best, although not altogether with success, to make their converts forget all about them. We trust, adds the Press, that the Hon. Mr Carroll, as Maori Lord Chamberlain and Licenser of Plays, has not been unmindful of his duty at Rotorua.