Kapa O Pango
“Kapa O Pango” simply means “team in black” in Maori.
Everyone who has read a little bit about NZ must have sooner or later crossed the sports section and therefor the New Zealanders favourite sport rugby. And everybody who knows about rugby has heard of the All Blacks, NZs national rugby team.
Not astonishing is that many people outside NZ know about the All Blacks, they are one of the most successful rugby teams worldwide. Surprising is that lots of people don’t know about the traditional Maori dance “Haka” which the All Blacks perform before the start of any international match.
Already composed in the 1820’s by Ngati Toa Chieftain Te Rauparaha, the “New Zealand Natives” first connected the traditional haka with rugby during their tour in 1888. The “All Blacks” perform hakas since 1905.
While they all showed the “Ka Mate” haka (the one from the 1820's), the All Blacks have acted out their own haka in 2005, the “Kapa O Pango”. It describes NZ’s beauty, the all in black warriors as well as their symbol, the silver fern.
Here are the lyrics of the Kapa O Pango:
Kapa O Pango kia whakawhenua au I ahau!
Hi aue ii!
Ko Aotearoa e ngunguru nei!
Au, au aue ha!
Ko Kapa O Pango e ngunguru nei!
Au, au, aue ha!
I ahaha!
Ka tu te ihiihi
Ka tu te wanawana
Ki runga ki te rangi e tu iho nei, tu iho nei ihi!
Ponga ra!
Kapa O Pango, aue hi!
Ponga ra!
And the translation (for everyone who cannot understand Maori language):
All Blacks, let me become one with the land
This is our land that rumbles
It’s my time! It’s my moment!
This defines us as the All Blacks
It’s my time! It’s my moment!
Our dominance
Our supremacy will triumph
And will be properly revered, placed on high
Silver fern!
All Blacks!
Silver fern!
All Blacks!
(both, lyrics and translation are taken from http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/new-zealand-rugby/ever-wondered-what-theyre-saying-in-the-haka-20100910-1540p.html)
There is still more to find out about the Maori origin of the haka and, of course, what it actually looks like, so here are two links for anyone interested:
