THE MEANING OF KA MATE

THE MEANING OF KA MATE KA MATE: 

Written by Te Rauparaha in the 1820s… it is a haka that celebrates life rather than advocating death or killing. The phrase Ka Mate, Ka Mate translates to "it was death, it was death" ... but the author is talking about his own death (no-one else’s)... he then continues Ka Ora, ka ora... now it's life… now its life... basically celebrating the fact that he is still alive... Te Rauparaha was actually hiding from his enemies at the time... Next he acknowledges the person who helps him hide... tenei te tangata puhuruhuru... which basically means "this is the ‘hairy’ person who protected me... nana i tiki mai… (who saved me)… then he exclaims... whakawhiti te ra (the sun shines again)... Te Rauparaha uses the sun shining as a metaphor for life and acknowledges (with excitement) that he lives on… The haka continues... Upane... which means rise up.... Upane... Upane… Ka upane... Whiti te ra... (rise up, rise up, rise up again... the sun shines on me). Ka Mate is a haka about HOPE... about SURVIVAL… about NEVER GIVING UP no matter how dire the situation is... Ka mate is about facing your future… maintaining your mana... believing in yourself... believing in those who support you… moving on and moving forward… 




CHECK OUT THE HAKA IN ACTION... ALL BLACK STYLES

Nga mihi whanui atu ki a koutou... ahakoa kei hea, ahakoa ko wai,
ahakoa te aha... toitu to tatou nei mana... Tuturu whakamaua
Kia Tina... TINA!!!

MAURIORA


WARREN POHATU CREATIVE: ONLINE IWI 2011