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Adorable 'Haka baby' dance offers a sweet window into Maori culture

Stop what you're doing and let this awesomeness wash over you.

@focuswithdan/TikTok

If you've never seen a Maori haka performed, you're missing out.

The Maori are the indigenous peoples of New Zealand, and their language and customs are an integral part of the island nation. One of the most recognizable Maori traditions outside of New Zealand is the haka, a ceremonial dance or challenge usually performed in a group. The haka represents the pride, strength, and unity of a tribe and is characterized by foot-stamping, body slapping, tongue protrusions, and rhythmic chanting.

Haka is performed at weddings as a sign of reverence and respect for the bride and groom and are also frequently seen before sports competitions, such as rugby matches.


The intensity of the haka is the point. It is meant to be a show of strength and elicit a strong response—which makes seeing a tiny toddler learning to do it all the more adorable.

Here's an example of a rugby haka:

Danny Heke, who goes by @focuswithdan on TikTok, shared a video of a baby learning haka and omigosh it is seriously the most adorable thing. When you see most haka, the dancers aren't smiling—their faces are fierce—so this wee one starting off with an infectious grin is just too much. You can see that he's already getting the moves down, facial expressions and all, though.

@focuswithdan When you grow up learning haka! #haka #teachthemyoung #maori #māori #focuswithdan #fyp #foryou #kapahaka ♬ original sound - 𝕱𝖔𝖈𝖚𝖘𝖂𝖎𝖙𝖍𝕯𝖆𝖓

As cute as this video is, it's part of a larger effort by Heke to use his TikTok channel to share and promote Maori culture. His videos cover everything from the Te Reo Maori language to traditional practices to issues of prejudice Maori people face.

Here he briefly goes over the different body parts that make up haka:

@focuswithdan

♬ Ngati - Just2maori

This video explains the purerehua, or bullroarer, which is a Maori instrument that is sometimes used to call rains during a drought.

@focuswithdan Reply to @illumi.is.naughty Some tribes used this to call the rains during drought 🌧 ⛈ #maori #māori #focuswithdan #fyp ♬ Pūrerehua - 𝕱𝖔𝖈𝖚𝖘𝖂𝖎𝖙𝖍𝕯𝖆𝖓

This one shares a demonstration and explanation of the taiaha, a traditional Maori weapon.

@focuswithdan Reply to @shauncalvert Taiaha, one of the most formidable of the Māori Weaponry #taiaha #maori #māori #focuswithdan #fyp #foryou ♬ original sound - 𝕱𝖔𝖈𝖚𝖘𝖂𝖎𝖙𝖍𝕯𝖆𝖓

For another taste of haka, check out this video from a school graduation:

@focuswithdan When your little cuzzy graduates and her school honours her with a haka #maori #māori #haka #focuswithdan #fyp #graduation @its_keshamarley ♬ Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngāti Ruanui - 𝕱𝖔𝖈𝖚𝖘𝖂𝖎𝖙𝖍𝕯𝖆𝖓

Heke even has some fun with the trolls and racists in the comments who try to tell him his culture is dead (what?).

@focuswithdan Credit to you all my AMAZING FOLLOWERS! #focuswithdan #maori #māori #followers #fyp #trolls ♬ original sound - sounds for slomo_bro!

Unfortunately, it's not just ignorant commenters who spew racist bile. A radio interview clip that aired recently called Maori people "genetically predisposed to crime, alcohol, and underperformance," among other terrible things. (The host, a former mayor of Auckland, has been let go for going along with and contributing to the caller's racist narrative.)

@focuswithdan #newzealand radio in 2021 delivering racist commentaries 🤦🏽‍♂️ #māori #maori #focuswithdan #racism DC: @call.me.lettie2.0 ♬ original sound - luna the unicow

That clip highlights why what Heke is sharing is so important. The whole world is enriched when Indigenous people like the Maori have their voices heard and their culture celebrated. The more we learn from each other and our diverse ways of life, the more enjoyable life on Earth will be and the better we'll get at collaborating to confront the challenges we all share.


This article originally appeared on 01.28.21

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Joy

Jennifer Garner shows how a random act of kindness begins with a simple Ziploc bag

Now, you're prepared to help at any time.

via Jennifer Garner/Instagram

Jennifer Garner's Ziploc care package.

Homelessness has been on the increase in America since 2016 and the numbers exploded in 2020. On a single night in January 2020, there were more than 580,000 individuals who were without a home.

There are many reasons for the increase in homelessness and one of the leading causes is a lack of affordable housing across the country. Housing prices have been on a steady increase and, according to PBS, we are about 7 million units short of affordable housing in the country.

So what can the average person do about this human tragedy taking place in America’s streets? Some people who would like to help don’t feel comfortable giving money to homeless people, although experts in the field say that most of the time it is OK.

“If you don’t have money or time, or capacity to donate, I still think it’s nice to be respectful and say hello,” Diane O’Connell, a community lawyer for the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, told the Chicago Tribune.

Actress Jennifer Garner, 49, shared a great idea on Instagram for those who would like to help homeless people but aren’t sure how to do so.

The actress posted a video where she filled zip-up plastic bags with everyday items that homeless people need.

"Random act of kindness: gather these essentials in a quart sized ziploc bag and keep them in your car to give away when you see someone in need,” she captioned the post. “A pair of thick socks. Kleenex. Hand wipes. Disposable toothbrushes. Chapstick. A couple of granola bars. I forgot this time, but like to add feminine hygiene products, too. Add $5, $10, $20 and a smile.”

For those not comfortable giving money, they can put a gift card in the bag for a local restaurant. O’Connell says that one thing most homeless people desperately need is a hot meal.

via Jennifer Garner/Instagram

“Simple, cheap foods like bagels and doughnuts aren't that helpful,” O’Connell said. “People who are homeless can usually buy things like that for themselves." Often what people experiencing homelessness need is a hot meal, she said, because that’s more difficult for them to buy.

Greendrop says that the items most commonly requested by homeless people are socks and undergarments. Homeless people are always walking and have a hard time accessing laundry facilities so their socks and undergarments are often dirty or falling apart.

Here are some other items that will help make homeless people more comfortable:

Shampoo and conditioner

Toothpaste

Hair brushes and toothbrushes

Soap

Lotions

Nail clippers

Feminine hygiene products

Reusable containers

Garner’s Ziploc bag tip is a great idea because it’s a simple way for people to lend a hand when they encounter someone on the streets. How many times have you been driving around, saw someone in need, but didn’t have any way to help? This way you can easily brighten someone’s day when you see them at a freeway on-ramp or in a parking lot without having to ask yourself whether you feel comfortable giving them money.


This article originally appeared on 3.12.22

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Joy

Airbnb host wakes his guest up in the middle of the night so she wouldn't miss the northern lights

Best. Host. Ever.

@penslucero/TikTok

Pency Lucero taking in the Northern Lights

Seeing the northern lights is a common bucket list adventure for many people. After all, it ticks a lot of boxes—being a dazzling light show, rich historical experience and scientific phenomenon all rolled into one. Plus there’s the uncertainty of it all, never quite knowing if you’ll witness a vivid streak of otherworldly colors dance across the sky…or simply see an oddly colored cloud. It’s nature’s slot machine, if you will.

Traveler and content creator Pency Lucero was willing to take that gamble. After thorough research, she stumbled upon an Airbnb in Rörbäck, Sweden with an actual picture of the northern lights shining above the cabin in the listing. With that kind of photo evidence, she felt good about her odds.

However, as soon as she landed, snow began falling so hard that the entire sky was “barely visible,” she told Upworthy. Martin, the Airbnb host, was nonetheless determined to do everything he could to ensure his guests got to see the spectacle, even offering to wake Lucero up in the middle of the night if he saw anything.

Then one night, the knock came.

In a video Lucero posted to TikTok, which now has over 12 million views, we hear Martin ushering her out to take a peek. Then we see Lucero’s face light up just before seeing the sky do the same.

“I thought it was a prank,” the onscreen text reads in the clip. “And then I see it….”

Watch:

@penslucero

I’m on the verge of crying every time I watch this video I still cannot believe it. 📍 Rörbäck, Sweden

“I was mostly in awe of what this Earth is capable of,” Lucero recalled. “I never expected it to be THAT beautiful for the naked eye.” This is a hopeful sentiment against the widely accepted notion that the northern lights are often better looking in photos than they are in real life.

As Lucero asserted in a follow-up video, “Our video doesn’t do it justice at all…I would argue it’s even better for the naked eye.”

@penslucero Replying to @PatriotFamilyHomes ♬ Golden Hour: Piano Version - Andy Morris

Others were quick to back Lucero with anecdotes of their own experience.

“It’s definitely possible to see it like in the pics. I saw it this winter in Norway, there was bright green, purple and so much movement.”

“They’re so much better in person, the way they dance and move around is insane and beautiful.”


Of course, if you ask Martin, who everyone agreed was the best host ever, seeing guest reactions of pure wonder and joy is even “better than the lights themselves.” But still, he can’t deny that there’s a breathtaking magic to it all. He shared with Upworthy that “Sometimes it feels like it will pull you up in the sky like you are in the middle of it. I wish everyone would have the chance to witness it.”

northern lights

A photo from Martin's Airbnb listing

a0.muscache.com

When it comes to tips for actually seeing the northern lights, Martin admits it still mostly comes down to being in the right place at the right time. Luckily, his Airbnb listing can help with that.

Nature has a great way of reminding us that beyond the distractions and distresses of modern life, there is sublime beauty waiting for the chance to capture our hearts.


This article originally appeared on 03.27.23

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Joy

Family's 98-yr-old neighbor brought over a cake and it launched a celebration of community

"This is how I thought adulthood would be as a child."

Kelly McDuff/TikTok (used with permission)

It all started with Kelly McDuff's neighbor bringing her family a chocolate cake.

We all want to live in a community where people are kind, friendly, helpful and welcoming. But sadly, many of us don't even know our neighbors at all much less feel that supportive sense of community where we live.

Perhaps that's why Kelly McDuff's exchanges with her elderly neighbor in her new neighborhood are giving people hope.

McDuff shared a video with the text, "We just moved into a house and my 98-year-old neighbor just dropped off a cake to welcome us to the neighborhood." In the video, McDuff grins and then shows the man crossing the street through her window, adding "He's lived here for 52 years and 'hopes we love it as much as he has.'" The 11-second video has been been viewed over 15 million times on TikTok.

But that's not even the whole story.

McDuff decided to reciprocate and bake the gentleman a lemon pie, excited to get to know him better. She encouraged everyone who liked the original video and thought it was cool to go and meet their neighbors—"go knock on their door and bake them some cookies, everybody likes cookies." She added that she wasn't sure what prompted her to make lemon pie, but she hoped he liked it.

Then she shared how he reacted when she took the pie to his house.

"Bless you, sweetheart! I love lemon pie," he said. "You didn't have to do that, but I'm just delighted you did."

McDuff wisely brought her neighbor a piece of paper with her family's names and numbers on it—just in case—and so began the building of a community everyone yearns for. As one person in the comments put it, "This is how I thought adulthood would be as a child."

The videos prompted other people to share their own celebration of community-building in the comments, and it's a hopeful reminder that sometimes it's as simple as taking the first step to reach out.

"We (early 30’s) moved to New Zealand, and quickly learned our 80 year old neighbour had just lost his wife to cancer. We made him banana muffins and dropped them off on his doorstep, which started a beautiful friendship. Countless dinners, laughs, and solving the world’s problems over good cheese, chocolate and wine. He became (and still is) one of our closest friends. We’ve moved back to Canada now, and we still FaceTime with him regularly… apart, but still sharing laughs and solving the world’s problems over good cheese, chocolate, and wine. ❤️"

"We had a very similar experience. We moved into our home and our 80+ year old neighbor brought over a homemade apple pie to welcome us to the neighborhood. She said they raised their 2 boys and twin grandsons in their house and were excited to see our 2 mos old son. We’ve been close ever since. It’s been 17 years. 🥹"

"A few years ago we lived next to a sweet old guy named Gus. He came over to introduce himself when we moved in and after that would come over to chat once in a while. We discovered in our conversations he was a Saxophonist and had played all the clubs in Vegas, even playing with Sinatra and hanging out with the rat pack for a little while! He said this as calmly as you please. He referred to Sinatra as old Franky and Dean Martin as Deano. You would never know this mild mannered, sweet guy had lived a wild life! He passed away suddenly from pneumonia but I still think about Gus and am thankful for his friendship."

"Love this!!! As a kid, my 70+ year old neighbor would sit on her porch with her brother and dog. I would go sit with them sometimes, go to the store for her and just relax. I eventually asked her to be my God mother and she agreed. She died when I was in the 7th grade but the love she poured in me never left my soul. Thanks for everything ❤️Ms. Bea."

"So I'm a neighbor wrangler. Every neighborhood I've lived in I've been the person to introduce myself and invite them over for a drink or if we're having an event, invite them too. I love it because neighbors who've never spoken or just did the garbage-day wave, suddenly start helping each other and become a community. Being a good neighbor is so underestimated."

"My mom bakes banana bread and has my dad deliver it every time someone new moves to the neighborhood. They’re almost 80. Very sweet. 🥧"

"This has inspired me to go knock on my 90 year old neighbors door."

Imagine if we all reached out to our neighbors, new or established, young or old, with such warm and thoughtful gestures of goodwill. Bringing someone cake or pie or cookies certainly won't solve all of humanity's problems, but it does start to build bonds and create connected communities where everyone feels welcome and valued.

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