Context: 

Recently, a Member of Parliament in New Zealand led the haka dance as a protest against the Treaty Principles Bill.

More on the News

• Despite the protest haka by the Maori Group’s MPs and a brief suspension, parliament passed the first reading of the Treaty Principles Bill. 
• Māori and their allies gathered for a large-scale protest at Parliament in Wellington.

Maori Group

• The islands of New Zealand are the present-day homeland of the Maori. They comprise around 20% of New Zealand’s population.
• Archaeologists refer to two branches of Maori: the archaic and the traditional. 
• The archaic Maori culture dates back to around AD 1000. They are considered as the original inhabitants of New Zealand. They relied on the moa, a large, flightless bird that they hunted into extinction.
• The traditional Maori are believed to have migrated to the North Island of New Zealand around the fourteenth century from the Society Islands of Polynesia.
• Language: Maori belongs to the Tahitic branch of the Eastern Polynesian language group earlier there were two distinct Maori dialects, North Island Maori and South Island Maori, which is now extinct. Currently, Moari speaks the English language.
• Religion: Maori of today are Christian (primarily Anglican, Presbyterian, and Roman Catholic)

Haka Dance

• This dance is of deep cultural significance to Māori identity and is traditionally performed by warriors on the battlefield or to welcome another tribe. 
• This dance is a kind of symphony in which the different parts of the body represent many instruments. The hands, arms, legs, feet, voice, eyes, tongue and the body as a whole combine to express courage, annoyance, joy or other feelings relevant to the purpose of the occasion. 
• This Dance is usually performed by men, with the females in singing roles.

Popular types of Haka:

• Peruperu: It is a war haka performed before battle to intimidate the enemy and demonstrate strength.
• Ngeri: It is a short haka without set actions, often used to stiffen the sinews and uplift the spirit.
• Pōwhiri: It is a welcoming haka performed during formal greeting ceremonies.
• Manawa wera: It is performed at funerals or memorials to express grief.