Aussie pundit stirs up Haka controversy

THE All Blacks need to dump the throat-slitting gesture at the end of the Kapa O Pango haka as it reminds people the “Maoris (sic) once engaged in unspeakable conduct”, according to an Australian commentator.

Sydney Morning Herald columnist Paul Sheehan believes that “the violence suggested by throat-slitting gestures has no place in sport or sportsmanship, especially in the national colours”.

In an opinion piece about simple gestures meaning a lot in the ultra-competitive world of sports, Sheehan says that “just before kick-off the All Blacks will perform the greatest ritual in world sport, the Haka”.

However, he warns the team might want to consider what exactly they are symbolising.

“If some of the All Blacks persist in ending this latest version of the Haka with a throat-slitting motion, they will be using a very big stage to remind people the Maoris once engaged in unspeakable conduct, which we don’t discuss any more.

“I’ll simply allude to this by quoting the journal of Captain James Cook: ‘There was not a man aboard Endeavour who, in the event of the ship’s breaking up, would not have preferred to drown rather than be left to the mercy of the Maoris’.”

Sheehan says it is a week when an “entire nation (New Zealand)” has an “immense emotional stake” in the outcome of the final match against France. “Too much invested, in fact. Thankfully Australia’s hopes and passions are spread across multiple sports. We have already moved on from the World Cup. New Zealand must live and die with its All Blacks.

“Had the Wallabies won the game, and were now playing for a record third World Cup championship on Sunday, it would have caused a psychic scar across New Zealand. Not just a passing funk but a real resentment that would have lasted years.’’

Sheehan expected the All Blacks to dominate Sunday’s final but New Zealanders should remember two things: “About 96% of the world does not care about rugby; and the violence suggested by throat-slitting gestures has no place in sport or sportsmanship, especially in the national colours.”

Haka expert Kahu Ropata said Sheehan’s comments were shallow and showed his lack of understanding. “The Haka, in terms of it being an art form, is different compared to Haka as preparation for going to war,” he said.

Ropata said people needed to consider how the Haka was now being used compared with the past.

“It is for a totally different reason and different purpose than it was back 100 years ago.”

Ropata said the gesture was about signalling a challenge and “leaving everything that you have out on the field”.

He said people should read into why Kapa O Pango was being used by the All Blacks before isolating gestures.

KAPA O PANGO

KAPA O PANGO was first performed by the All Blacks in 2005 and has provoked complaints on and off since due to the throat-slitting action.

A NZRU review found the gesture had a different meaning in Maori culture to that interpreted by the public and commentators: it indicated the drawing of the breath of life into the heart and lungs.

The gesture was dropped for a period in 2006 and then withdrawn in 2007. A modified version of the gesture — with the right arm being drawn from the left hip over the right shoulder — was performed in 2008.

However, since then the All Blacks have at times reverted to the original action.