Do The Haka

By: Hari Sreenivasan
Topics: Field Notes

(CBS/John Filo)

Hari Sreenivasan is a CBS News correspondent based in Dallas.

It was my first "Friday Night Lights" experience. I'd never seen so much excitement over a high school football game. I'm pretty sure that the fans in the stands supporting the trinity Trojans for this non-playoff / relatively regular season game outnumbered some of the college games for my alma mater.

My memories of high school football were pretty tame in comparison. Most of the fans were either students who had friends playing or parents who had children playing. But in Texas, it's a different story. Some games are broadcast on local or regional sports channels; there are usually weekly high school football sports shows; and there is a tremendous amount of community support from alumni players who walk the sidelines, alumni in the stands and just people who live nearby and love to root for the school.

The Trojans have been doing the Haka for a few seasons now, and whether there is any correlation between the dance and their success, or it's just mere coincidence- one thing is certain: it certainly amps everything up. The fans seem to enjoy it as much as the players. I don't think it has the possibility of getting "old" – it's just a very short burst of incredibly intense energy that you can almost feel.

As I walked through the players and shot some video with my mini-dv camera while they yelled phrases that Maori warriors began chanting hundreds of years ago, it was a bit intimidating. Everything is bigger in Texas, including the size of most high school football players. Throw some pads on them and get them close to their primal self through a dance like the Haka, and the players look ferocious.

There are plenty of Haka videos online, and perhaps with this story, we'll be adding another. Colleges from Hawaii to Utah (schools with large Polynesian populations) have their own versions to fire up crowds. There are other high schools around the country that are adopting one version of the dance or another.

Next time you want an inexpensive and entertaining Friday night -- where the sport hasn't been adulterated by big money endorsements and the game hasn't been slowed by TV timeouts -- head to a high school football game. Grab a meal of nachos and Gatorade from the concession stand, and who knows? You might just witness a primordial battle-cry at a stadium near you.

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by thomascrst3 March 1, 2011 7:44 AM EST: well you suggest a very interesting story. I like your story very much. Thanks for share you first "<a href="http://download-Friday-night-lights.edogo.com/">Friday Night Lights</a>" experience.; Reply to this comment


by eronh November 15, 2007 2:32 AM EST: yea about the girl haka i would assume that thye would probably only do the most publicised haka, ka mate ka mate which is reserved solely for the men if it is to be put into that context and thank you kiwidiva for the kind gesture
because in place far away from home, MY STRENGTH IS NOT JUST THE STRENGTH OF ONE, Ehara taki toa i te toa takitahi.; Reply to this comment


by kiwidiva-2009 November 15, 2007 12:48 AM EST: katrine14200 - thanks for letting us know the trojans aren''t doing this haka anymore. hopefully they have written one of their own rather than stealing this one off the internet.

chur eronh - TA up in SD! unfortunately, these yanks want what we have - even if they have to steal it, mispronounce it and totally butcher it - then get interviewed on american tv like they have a right to it!!

krisinak - what haka is your daughter''s debate team doing? there are haka for women but doing a haka in alaska before a debate sounds very, VERY strange!; Reply to this comment


by katrine14200 November 14, 2007 8:55 PM EST: just for your guys information the team''s haka or pregame dance, has changed since this segment was filmed. i dont know if the players made it up or what but it is different now. they revealed the new dance last friday. also the team doesnt only have tongans, there are also samoens and a pair of brothers of maori decent.; Reply to this comment


by amerinz November 14, 2007 7:21 AM EST: The haka isn''t a "war dance", but a ritual challenge. Tongans, like many Pacific peoples, have their own.

If American schools want to use a Maori haka, perhaps they could partner with an iwi (Maori tribe) in New Zealand who can help them develop their own unique and appropriate haka. That way the school will have a haka not used by anyone else, it''ll be relevant and appropriate for their school, and Maori can keep control over their own cultural and intellectual property--everyone wins.; Reply to this comment


by trinity999 November 14, 2007 2:22 AM EST: Great story you did!!! Keep up the good work. You are more than welcome to join the ride with the Trinity Trojans for years to come.; Reply to this comment


by bigchuck808 November 14, 2007 1:56 AM EST: OMG I cant believe some of you! The Haka is a sacred Maori dance that belongs to the Maori Tribes of New Zealand. People have taken this war dance and slautered it completely. I am not Maori but I at least read up on something before I would have reported it came from Tonga. The Tongan war dance is called the "Cippy Tau" or "Sippy Tau" I''m not sure of the correct spelling. I am tired of seeing people take another persons culture and mis-use what it was originally intended for! My advice is to watch the Whale Rider or Once were Warriors.; Reply to this comment


by ltf3nzkiwi November 14, 2007 1:36 AM EST: My husband and I when we both heard that this story was about US students doing the Haka before games said "What the hell!" Then we heard the story and read this one and can''t believe that the stories went out without checking all the facts. The Haka is a very complex and tradition filled part of Maori culture. My husband is a native New Zealander and I''m a dual citizen of the US and NZ and even I know from my short time living there that the Maoris don''t consider Tongans Maori. They are "islanders" and they don''t have the "cheek" to say that the Haka is a part of their culture. A pro team in Europe (university students)did the Haka before a rugby game a few years ago and it created a huge stink with the Maori tribal elders because it was done by white and non-maori students. The Maori elders ask that permission be granted before anyone does such a blastphemous act who is not a part of their culture. The Haka is sacred to their culture and to the history of New Zealand. The Maoris still use it today in ceremonial procedures with dignitaries and at the beginning of their games (and I guess in goofy commercials as well (for gingerbread & beer). I wonder what the Maori King thinks of this. This sounds like it would be Tapu to me.; Reply to this comment


by eronh November 14, 2007 1:34 AM EST: i would also like to add that this story on the haka was uncoherent to the tradition practices of a true Maori, u can take any haka and change it to suite you because to often a haka is made for a certain iwi or hapu and cannot jus be taken and altered to fit, once again i want to advocate that it is truely ignorant of you to even commit such an offence against aotearoa and the people of it.; Reply to this comment


by eronh November 14, 2007 1:28 AM EST: my name is robert horne and i am a 16 year old new zealand born citizen of Te Awamutu in the North Island, and i am proud to call myself a New Zealand Maori. I have been living in Crooks, SD for the past three months and when i heard that there was to be a story on the Haka i believed it to be a sincere appreciation of a long held tradition of my people, but i found myself disgusted in the use of this sacred dance performed by neanderthols who have no true respect for this dance, and this culture. one cannot just perform something that they dont not understand nor comprehend, i ask you, do any of those fotball players even know how speak maori, or even know where the haka was dervied from, the answer to that is no. Some people believe that it is great for people to be promoting the haka in such a way, but i strongly believe that it is something that is granted not somthing can be taken, it is a gift passed down from generation to generation through whaikorero, not something that can easily be learnt off the internet. i hope that this will be the end of a disrespectful trait that is in my opinion rude.

And in reply to KRISINAK if you knew anything about the haka you would know that it should never be performed by girls, it is a tradition of our people that should be respected.; Reply to this comment