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  • UH Haka

    The University of Hawai'i football team are STILL doing the Kapa O Pango haka that was written especially for the All Blacks New Zealand rugby team.

    Two months ago, I wrote a letter to the editor of the Honolulu Advertiser, (someone posted it on the thread about this issue that was closed down) http://www.hawaiithreads.com/showthread.php?t=11174 I've called radio stations here in Hawai'i and I've been telling anyone who will listen - and still, it's like whispering into the wind.

    I was previously just concerned that the Warriors respect the haka - get one of their own, learn it properly - not just the actions but the words and the meanings behind the words - but after reading some of their statements, I now realise that they will NEVER respect it. They just think it's a cool thing to do to bring the team together and entertain their fans.

    Click on this link for last week's article: http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/ap...611290353/1032

    And for those of you who are to busy to click on the link, let me highlight one of the points in the article I have a problem with...

    - While acknowledging there are similarities, linebacker Timo Paepule said, the Warriors' version is not step-for-step the same as the All-Blacks' haka.

    "We put in a little part in there that talks about the Warriors," Paepule said. "(The All Blacks) don't say that."

    ... "We have guys from Polynesia. We want people to know the haka is part of our heritage." -


    OK, changing a few words (substituting Hawai'i for Aotearoa) does not change the fact that it is a blatant RIP OFF! It is not YOUR heritage... it's MINE and I don't appreciate you passing it off as your own and teaching it to your team mates like you have a right to it.

    Many of the posters on this board and the Rainbow Sports Network board http://mb20.scout.com/fhawaiifrm1.sh...ID=25239.topic just think the haka is a cool thing for the players to do for team unity and to enterain the fans but to us Maori, it is so much more than that.

    It took a (so far anonymous) UH lecturer to make the UH team & staff see that what they are doing could have legal repercussions. This is not just fun and games! The players are trying to pass it off with the "can a dance be copyrighted" line - actually, intellectual property rights of indigenous peoples is getting more protection thanks to more awareness and indigenous lawyers using existing laws and passing new laws to fight this kind of erroneous cultural representation.

    I don't want to be the radical who spoils the party, but what is happening to the integrity of my Maori people if we let this happen? I believe that we (the Maori in this community and all over the world), as globally aware and internationally involved individuals, have a responsibility as "kaitiaki" (guardians) of our culture, which is a taonga (treasure) passed down to us from our ancestors and we must exercise our rights to stamp out any form of exploitation and misuse of our heritage.

    We are trying to do this through collective action, diplomatic activism and EDUCATION! I am trying to use the media and the internet to have my voice heard and to put a face to this issue - that even though we wish the team well, we do not agree with their misuse of our culture.

    Sadly, this is not just happening in Hawai'i - but all over the world. See this link for a story out of Texas about a high school football team there performing a Tongan war dance - well, it's a war dance alright but it is another Maori haka, not TONGAN:

    http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06320/738907-49.stm

    The Sipi Tau IS a Tongan war dance that is performed by the Tongan rugby team before their matches so why these young Tongans in Texas didn't teach their team mates their own dance is puzzling. I guess other Polynesian mens 'dances' just aren't agressive enough in getting the message across.

    Just because we are all Polynesians, does not make this right. We each have our own languages and distinct cultures that need to be cherished and held on to. What bothers me is that some Polynesians think it's acceptable to appropriate other Pacific symbols without first educating themselves on the significance and meaning behind these symbols, or affording them the respect that we demand of non-Pacific islanders and then hide behind the "we're all Polynesian" excuse. The old adage "the oppressed in turn opress" rings true when I hear that one.

    Is there no kumu hula here that is willing to write a chant for the UH team and teach it to them? Hawaiians are a proud people too - the esteemed culture here should be celebrated and your football teams should reflect the place that they come from.

    I don't mean to be anti-American about this either because it really is a global problem. From Fiat commercials in Italy incorrectly portraying women doing the haka (that one was banned in New Zealand) to Lego using Maori words and concepts in their Bionicles series to the "Maori" mix brand of cigarettes out of Israel.

    By using the haka, the Warriors (and other Hawai'i high school football teams) claim to celebrate us Maori and I assume we are supposed to feel flattered. Well, I did for a while but now I see that there is no respect in this case. I'm just getting tired of it. People with no understanding using bits of my culture as it suits them without having any knowledge of what they are doing. I feel strongly that I must stand up and say NO! I will not just sit here quietly and let you "rip off" my culture.

    Mauri ora,
    Louisa
    Toku toa, he toa rangatira ~ He whakatauki
    My bravery is inherited from the chiefs who were my forebears ~ Maori whakatauki

  • #2
    Re: UH Haka

    Wow. I had no idea!

    We can’t be so fixated on our desire to preserve the rights of ordinary Americans.

    — U.S. President Bill Clinton
    USA TODAY, page 2A
    11 March 1993

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: UH Haka

      Hawaii is a fake "ripoff" culture. Everything about modern "Hawaiianism" and "localism" is fake. We enjoy stealing as long as it makes us feel more "local", more "islander".

      We love it when "our" warriors do their dance because it makes us feel more "Hawaiian" than the fans of say "Boise". The fact that its all a fake act based upon a stolen dance doesn't matter.

      See?

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: UH Haka

        I was seeing this on TV news following the Purdue game. Frankly, I was embarrassed by it. Something didn't quite ring true. I didn't know what it was, but it just didn't feel solidly like they should be doing it. I agree that creating their own ritual dance would be a better way of going about this. Sure, there are plenty of players from all over Oceania, so it would probably be a blend or hybrid result, but distinctly their own.

        That is one of the things I find offensive about "Jawaiian" or local kids who dress/do hip hop stuff. Why latch onto a flawed identity when you already have something worthwhile you could perpetuate?

        I digress.
        Aloha from Lavagal

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: UH Haka

          Louisa, your point is well-taken, but to whom you direct your ire is misguided.

          Football is not a Hawaiian sport. The UH is not administered by a Hawaiian entity. None of the football heads are Hawaiians (I am willing to be corrected if I am wrong about this tidbit). Aim your stones at the UH football program, NOT native Hawaiians for coopting your heritage. Now, for that claim to be valid, it would take something like our Merrie Monarch festival being opened with a haka, but believe you me, before any Maori would have a chance to ring the alarm, the Hawaiians would be tossing victims off the pali for such sacrilege.

          As a kanaka, I recall recoiling when I first saw the UH haka on television. I wondered if they had been granted permission by the All Blacks to use a chant that was written expressly for them. I thought that the UH has a Hawaiian Studies department and access to many capable of creating an appropriate chant and dance. Why this hasn't happened I do not know. Perhaps making the point as you did will call the UH HS department to their duty to support their fellow UH program and rectify the matter with their own Hawaiian chant and dance.

          pax

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: UH Haka

            Haka is the generic name for all Maori dance. Today, haka is defined as that part of the Maori dance repertoire where the men are to the fore with the women lending vocal support in the rear. Most haka seen today are haka taparahi, haka without weapons.
            The haka adds a unique component, derived from the indigenous Maori of New Zealand, and which aligns with the wider Polynesian cultures of the Pacific. The All Blacks perform the haka with precision and intensity which underpin the All Black approach.
            http://www.allblacks.com
            Rugby teams perform the Haka and Rugby is not derived from there.

            So why can't the UH Warrior members that are Polynesian perform a "UH Warrior approach"

            http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZCky1H_fiU

            How many haoles do you see?
            Last edited by damontucker; December 6, 2006, 10:52 AM. Reason: Thank you Nachodaddy for referring me to the Allblack website

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: UH Haka

              Originally posted by Pua'i Mana'o View Post
              I thought that the UH has a Hawaiian Studies department and access to many capable of creating an appropriate chant and dance. Why this hasn't happened I do not know. Perhaps making the point as you did will call the UH HS department to their duty to support their fellow UH program and rectify the matter with their own Hawaiian chant and dance.
              Knowing the personalities involved, it's somewhat unlikely that the UH Center for Hawaiian Studies would do anything of its own volition for the UH Athletic Department. However, if someone from the UH Athletic Department asks the UH Center for Pacific Islands Studies for assistance, something can probably be worked out.
              Ā Ē Ī Ō Ū ā ē ī ō ū -- Just a little something to "cut and paste."

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: UH Haka

                I freely confess my ignorance when it comes to UHM professors and their politics. Who can keep up?

                pax

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: UH Haka

                  Originally posted by Jonah K View Post
                  Knowing the personalities involved, it's somewhat unlikely that the UH Center for Hawaiian Studies would do anything of its own volition for the UH Athletic Department.
                  ...except REMOVE the Hawaiian warrior in favor of a Polynesian dancer with a penchant for pissing off opposing teams. Was the original Warrior an ali‘i? Sure. Disrespectful to have him as the mascot? Maybe. But at least he was Hawaiian. Or are all ‘them natives’ the same? That’s the message I got.

                  We can’t be so fixated on our desire to preserve the rights of ordinary Americans.

                  — U.S. President Bill Clinton
                  USA TODAY, page 2A
                  11 March 1993

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: UH Haka

                    Guess no one gives a rats butt that Vili is not a Hawaiian Warrior either?

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: UH Haka

                      there is no ass to give a rat, because football is not a Hawaiian sport, and the idea of "mascots" isn't a Hawaiian concept.

                      Now, while my panties doesn't twist up too tightly because of appropriating somebody's personal latterday mele like it did when Disney/Mark Ho'omalu used "He Mele No Kalakaua" for "He Mele No Lilo", which means that Disney owns the f***ing rights to a Hawaiian chant for our ali'i, I do see where Louisa is coming from.

                      I believe that the onus is upon those kanaka on the UH payroll to come up with something more appropriate for their fellow fb team.

                      pax

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: UH Haka

                        So then when did Universities and Colleges become a "Hawaiian" thing?

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: UH Haka

                          Originally posted by manoasurfer123 View Post
                          So then when did Universities and Colleges become a "Hawaiian" thing?
                          October 14th, 1956 at around 2pm...nah!!! I dont know but I bet you was ready to google that date yeah Miulang?
                          Life is what you make of it...so please read the instructions carefully.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: UH Haka

                            Originally posted by craigwatanabe View Post
                            October 14th, 1956 at around 2pm...nah!!! I dont know but I bet you was ready to google that date yeah Miulang?
                            I dunno why that date would be significant in the world of Hawai'i athletics (I don't really unnerstand Manoa's question to begin with ) but I did find this rather amusing story in a Gay/Lesbian/Transgender newspaper in Vermont about why the "Rainbow" part of the Rainbow Warriors nickname was dropped:

                            Hawaii logo

                            HONOLULU – The rainbow has fallen at the University of Hawaii.

                            The rainbow has been the symbol and nickname for the Hawaii football team for 77 years.

                            But because the rainbow has also become the symbol of gays and lesbians around the world, the school’s athletics director said was a factor in a decision to drop the rainbow from school logos and the football team’s name.

                            “That logo really put a stigma on our program at times in regards to it’s part of the gay community, their flags and so forth,” Hugh Yoshida said after the new, Polynesian-style “H” logo was unveiled, replacing the old logo, which had the letters UH and a rainbow.

                            Now the university is being accused of homophobia by gay and lesbian groups and being criticized by some native Hawaiians for renaming the football team the Warriors.

                            “A statement like that I can understand coming from student-athletes, but to come from the athletic director, I am surprised and disappointed,” said Ken Miller of the Gay and Lesbian Community Center.

                            Yoshida, who earlier said his comments were taken out of context, issued a statement apologizing to anyone he may have offended.

                            “I understand why some people might consider some of the comments to be derogatory, even if no harm was intended,” Yoshida said. “We remain committed to our policies on diversity and inclusiveness
                            Miulang
                            "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: UH Haka

                              Originally posted by Pua'i Mana'o View Post
                              there is no ass to give a rat, because football is not a Hawaiian sport, and the idea of "mascots" isn't a Hawaiian concept.

                              Now, while my panties doesn't twist up too tightly because of appropriating somebody's personal latterday mele like it did when Disney/Mark Ho'omalu used "He Mele No Kalakaua" for "He Mele No Lilo", which means that Disney owns the f***ing rights to a Hawaiian chant for our ali'i, I do see where Louisa is coming from.

                              I believe that the onus is upon those kanaka on the UH payroll to come up with something more appropriate for their fellow fb team.
                              Originally posted by manoasurfer123 View Post
                              So then when did Universities and Colleges become a "Hawaiian" thing?
                              Originally posted by Miulang View Post
                              I dunno why that date would be significant in the world of Hawai'i athletics (I don't really unnerstand Manoa's question to begin with )
                              Miulang
                              I was just questioning Pua'i assertion that football doesn't have anything to do with Hawaiian Concepts...
                              So I was asking anyone out there that might have knowledge...

                              What do Universities and Colleges have to do with Hawaiian Customs?

                              If we are taking Football to the Hawaiian Connection... why not tie in the whole University and College to the question?

                              Are universities and colleges Hawaiian?

                              Comment

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