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Watch: Joyful 18-month-old toddler learns how to do the Maori haka dance

"The world has never needed the haka more than it does now."

Toddler learning haka dance is taking over the internet

The haka is a traditional Maori dance that originated as a war dance. In recent years, people around the world have come to know and love the now familiar dance. The passion, rhythmic gestures, wide eyes and chanted words grace screens across multiple countries on a near daily basis, often bringing viewers to tears.

Having a window into such a rich culture can make people curious on how cultural traditions like the haka are passed down. Surely Maori babies aren't born knowing this dance instinctively, nor is there a magic switch that flips when they reach a certain age. One family gave a little glimpse into how the culture is passed down from one generation to the next and it's beyond adorable.

Hope Lawrence recently uploaded a video of her 18-month-old practicing the haka with his dad in the dining room, and the little guy is surprisingly good. In the video, the baby starts off with a stomp and grunt as his dad shows him the wero, which is the trembling hand often seen in the dance. As the dad walks back and forth starting the chant along with wero, the little one tries his best to mimic his dad.

Before too long the toddler is chanting along and copying the dad's moves almost exactly, even if you can't quite make out what the little guy is saying–his haka is still powerful. This isn't the first time the baby has been caught doing the haka. Just last month he was caught practicing his haka along with the New Zealand ruby team All Blacks on the family television. His tiny haka moves have taken social media by storm with over 53 million views, 7.1 million likes and more than 53K comments.


People cannot get enough of his powerful little dance, with one person writing, "The Haka is so powerful but seeing this father teaching his baby is so much powerful. I am deeply moved."

Another person thinks the dance is just the light people need to see right now, "The world has never needed the haka more than it does now."

Someone else noticed the confidence exuding from the toddler, "The way y'all were in complete cadence together with the leg slap... he came in with confidence because of you, and y'all nailed it perfectly together."


One viewer appreciates the peek into another culture, "I LOVE THIS!!! if it wasn't for tik tok I would've never been exposed to Maori culture. can't tell you how many Haka performances I've watched. they make me feel so empowered."

Appreciation of culture being passed down is a common theme among commenters with one saying, "This is truly beautiful to watch, not just because the father is keeping interaction and culture with child, but it's keeping a beautiful culture present... some other cultures didn't have this."

Many people who watch the haka have a deeply emotional reaction that they can't explain even though they have no personal connection to the culture. The dance seems to speak to a part of humans that may be missing their ancestral connections, possibly awakening some dormant longing. There's no real way to know but the amount of people that report being brought to tears every time the dance is performed is significant. This baby will surely keep his culture alive as he grows into adulthood, likely teaching his own son as his father taught him.

NBC Sports/Youtube

The haka always packs an emotional punch.

There’s no shortage of haka footage on social media, each as viscerally compelling as the last. And while this traditional Māori dance, consisting of exaggerated facial features and vigorous percussive gestures, might often be viewed as exclusively for male warriors preparing for battle, it is performed by both men and women.

And if there’s any doubt as to whether or not an all-female haka is every bit as breathtaking, just take a look at the one carried out by New Zealand’s rugby team after their Olympic gold medal win. Yowza.


After defeating Canada's team 19-12 (not to mention becoming first women's rugby team to secure back to back Olympic golds) the Black Ferns made their way back to the field to celebrate their victory in arguably the coolest way ever.

paris olympics, olympics, rugby, haka, new zealand, olympics rugbyThe Black Ferns celebrate their unprecedented win with a traditioanl Māori haka. NBC Sports/Youtube

That’s at least how viewers seemed to feel about it. Whether noting the haka’s ability to always pack an emotional punch to sharing gratitude that the Māori people were able to celebrate this part of their culture, folks were notably moved.

Check out some of the lovely comments:

“Hakas always give me chills. The emotions it conveys can transcend culture. Full respect for these ladies.”

“It’s beautiful how the Kiwis, no matter their own race, pay respect to the beautiful Māori culture by performing the Haka at every event. The spirit of the Māori is in all of them and you can see it in their faces.”

“Why am I crying? The emotion transmitted through their voices, movements and facial expressions is so much. I don't know how to process the way this makes me feel. I've watched it so many times.”

“Love that they can honor their heritage and culture in a time of victory. Haka always makes me emotional and I feel privileged to watch it. It's like experiencing a sacred moment every time.”


paris olympics, olympics, rugby, haka, new zealand, olympics rugbyThe haka is heavily associated with rugby, often performed just before a game.NBC Sports/Youtube

“It is so beautiful to see them together as a team celebrating a gold medal win but never forgetting their culture and honoring it with a Haka dance for the world to see and enjoy.”

“They should now get another medal for: ‘Best Medal Award Celebration.’"

“Now THIS personifies the Olympics! Strength, unity, team. Way to go, ladies! You are inspiring!

“So powerful - so grateful to see that they were allowed to honor their heritage at this incredible moment in their lives! Also - very moving to see that ALL of them were a part of it. It was an honor to watch this. ️”

“This will never get old. So many emotions & a powerful expression of a centuries old tradition.”

“This brought tears to my eyes, they have died to preserve their culture and every time they perform it I hope their ancestors are singing along.”

You can watch the whole thing here.

Joy

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

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

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

Teen does the haka at mom's college graduation.

Graduating college while also raising children is a huge accomplishment and should be celebrated. One family sat waiting for their mom to walk across the stage to receive her bachelor's degree when her teenage son decided to honor her. The teen stood up in the wide aisle between folding chairs right before the announcer called his mother's name.

It was clear that his focus was on the woman that raised him when he started the familiar call and stance of the haka. He stood alone in his suit while his sister, who was filming their mother getting ready to walk, noticed her brother starting the dance.

The haka is a ceremonial Māori dance generally performed in groups to represent pride, unity and strength according to New Zealand's official website. Thanks to the internet, the passionate dance has been seen all over the world, from players doing it at sporting events to people sending off loved ones at the airport.


The haka is performed in all sorts of contexts, including celebrations, so it feels beyond fitting that this son would honor his mother in this way. You could feel the pride in his voice, and the graduation halted while he finished, with the master of ceremony waiting to call his mom's name. Even others in the crowd joined in singing the ceremonial chant with him in support.

In the text overlay, his sister wrote, "My mom graduating her bachelor in social work & my little brother getting up to Tautoko the best way we know how."

"Tautoko" means to support, prop up, verify, advocate, accept, agree, according to the Moāri dictionary. Support and propping up is certainly what this proud son did. Thankfully, it was caught on video so others could take part in his pride.

Currently, the video posted by Shay Ana on TikTok has over 4.3 million views, and commenters shared their support, with one person writing, "He didn't care what anyone thought. He was going to pay his respects to his mother."

"Whenever I see these done I always get so emotional! They are so powerful. What a beautiful part of your culture," another wrote.

See the moving tribute below:

@shay_anar

Very proud of you mum 4 very long and hard years finally paid off!! 💯