Maori Haka dancers help launch new ‘All Black’ away kitAs much as I like Everton Football Club (Australian Tim Cahill plays for them), there is no link between a New Zealand Maori cultural tradition and an English football. The use of such is clearly a misappropriation.by Alan Weston
7 August 2009
A TEAM of Maori dancers performed the ceremonial Haka dance at Goodison Park to launch Everton FC’s new “All Black” away kit.It was the first public appearance of the new playing strip for the 2009/10 season.
It takes its inspiration from one of the first kits ever worn by Everton in the late 19th century, when they were known as the Black Watch.
The shirts are all black and decorated with pink lightning horizontal stripes.
The troupe of Maori dancers also performed a version of fans favourite, If You Know Your History, during their appearance.
The Haka dance is traditionally associated with the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team, and is performed before the start of matches to intimidate opponents.
The new kit is available from the Everton One store at Goodison Park, and Everton Two at Liverpool One.
Meanwhile in New Zealand, and reported by the New Zealand Herald
English Premier League side to perform hakaOf course misappropriating culture upsets those for which it is part of their identity. It would be like an African dictator wearing the Scottish kilt.
4:00AM Sunday Aug 09, 2009
By Heather McCrackenOne of England's top premiership soccer clubs is to perform a flippant haka before its season-opening game this week, despite legal protests that it insults Maori.
The lawyer spearheading Maori intellectual property claims is writing to Everton Football Club, warning that its "bastardised" haka trespasses on Maori rights and disrespects their heritage.
But the club is unrepentant about its use of the "he ha" haka, part of the team's new "All Black" look and unveiled three days ago with its team strip.
Hired Maori dancers will perform the haka as Everton and Arsenal run on to Goodison Park in Liverpool on Saturday, the opening day of England's Premier League club competition.
The game, the most important match-up of the opening day, is likely to feature football internationals such as England prodigy Theo Walcott, Spaniard Cesc Fabregas and Australia's Tim Cahill.
It will be watched by television viewers around the world.
Intellectual property lawyer Maui Solomon said he was appalled by the haka. "I think it's showing cultural disrespect to Maori. People overseas need to know Maori culture isn't just up for grabs."
Solomon, who represents three iwi in an intellectual property rights claim before the Waitangi Tribunal, said it was also damaging to New Zealand's "cultural brand".
"This is the thin edge of the wedge. People all over the world are appropriating Maori culture for commercial purposes."
Everton officials should have checked with the New Zealand Rugby Union or a Maori authority first, Solomon said.
Performances of haka by overseas pop stars and advertisers have sparked anger before, and lawyers for the Ngati Toa iwi fought unsuccessfully to trademark the All Black Ka Mate haka, written by Te Rauparaha.
In February, the Government and Ngati Toa agreed a Treaty settlement that recognised the iwi's authorship of Ka Mate. The iwi has agreed to the All Blacks' continuing use of the haka.
Everton FC spokesman Mark Rowan said there was no intention to be disrespectful in the club performing a haka.
"As a club we understand what the haka represents and we simply wanted to celebrate the launch of our new all black playing strip with a dedicated Everton haka," he said.
"Since the haka took place on Thursday we have received nothing but positive comments and we do plan to perform the Everton haka again."
The club's website described the new strip as a "dynamic new 'All Black' look."
NZRU commercial manager Paul Dalton said intellectual property rights around the All Blacks were monitored carefully.
"Our main concern here would be making sure there's no confusion for our fans," he said. "Everton's new pink and black strip, at first look, doesn't look like anything All Black fans should be worried about."
Radio host Willie Jackson is one Maori not concerned about the haka. The English lyrics didn't "mangle the language."
"I only get angry if they deliberately set out to make what we're doing look stupid. I don't think we need to get too precious."
* Words to the Everton haka:
Everton! Everton! He, ha, he, ha!
It's a grand old team, he, ha!
It's a grand old team to support
And if you know your history
it's enough to make your heart go he, ha!* Maori mimics - from pop stars to adverts
Previous attempts to hijack the haka have ranged from impromptu performances by pop stars to alcohol ads. Earlier this year the Royal Shakespeare company caused a ruckus by including a drunken haka in a performance of The Taming of the Shrew.
An English television ad featuring women in bikinis performing a haka was pulled off air in 2001 after more than 100 complaints.
New Zealand High Commissioner Paul East was among those to complain about the alcopop ad featuring the tag-line, "Go Native". In the same year, Ngati Toa objected to a topless version of Ka Mate, to be performed by dancers at an Auckland strip club.
In 2002 the BBC was criticised for featuring a Welsh rugby team performing the haka in an ad. The use of moko in a French fashion collection has also come under fire and pop group the Spice Girls were criticised for performing a haka in Bali in 1997.
1 comment:
well... you might not like the Spice Girls, but they are no African Dictators.
Such simile is wrong because it implies that there is something negative about the people who perform the Haka (the Everton team, for instance), and that is the reason why it demeans the dance.
No Spanish gets offended because non-Spanish people learn and dance flamenco, no Scottish gets offended when non-Scottish people play Scottish songs with bagpipes, right?. Well they are both also very old, dear national displays.
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