My First Haka

About a week or so ago there was a going away party for my former manager, Piri. He was by far the best manager I've ever had. I don't count my last manager as a real manager because she is probably the worst manager I've ever met. I met Piri over the phone from Canada and we chatted about the Child Abuse Taskforce that he thought I would be interested in, so with that in mind, I left my homeland behind and headed for the land down under. I've been here about 20 months now, and Piri was so supportive of the work I did, and of all the teams he managed. I don't think I ever heard a negative work about Piri, which is really saying something. 

So at this going away party, there was a ton of people. Piri is Maori from New Zealand, and so some of the kiwis that worked there and one fella who didn't got together and did a haka for him. A haka is a ceremonial dance/demonstration by other Maoris and kiwis to show respect. I had only seen them on television or on youtube. The All Blacks sport team from NZ does it before every game. It's quite full-on when you're right there and they're shouting out the words. I just loved it! Click on the link here to check it out. Haka for Piri  My friend Peter who is also Maori wasn't familiar with this particular haka, so took a few moments to catch up. He is the guy in the middle. Then a couple of non-Maori kiwis joined in. The Maori women can be seen swaying in the background. I'd love to go to New Zealand before I go home to check it out and would be excited to see this performed there in tribal outfits. 

Also that night I saw Piri and one of the fellas that did the haka touch foreheads and noses, called the Hongi. It was also pretty cool and reminded me of how Inuit rub noses as a greeting. The woman in the photo here is tattooed with traditional Maori tattoo on the chin. They used to do it with ash and a chisel...I don't think they do that quite as often anymore although I have heard they still indeed do it. 

The Maori are cool...