A mass haka for Standing Rock at the Waka and Wave on Hihiaua Peninsular, Northland. Today Tauranga Moana are holding a similar haka near Leisure Island. Photo/file
A mass haka for Standing Rock at the Waka and Wave on Hihiaua Peninsular, Northland. Today Tauranga Moana are holding a similar haka near Leisure Island. Photo/file
This afternoon Tauranga Moana will be gathering to perform a haka to show support and solidarity with Native Americans protesting against the Dakota Pipeline.
Haka with Standing Rock was a nationwide movement and many mass haka have been performed in support of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe who were peacefully protesting the construction of an oil pipeline in North Dakota, which they fear would threaten their water source and sacred sites.
Tauranga man Drew Tata has helped organise a Haka for Standing Rock. Photo/file
In front of Moturiki Island (Leisure Island) at 3pm today local Maori would stand united as tangata whenua.
After a karakia, korero and short hikoi a haka would be performed on the beach.
Organiser Drew Tata said Tauranga Moana were responding to a call out to Aotearoa from the elders at Standing Rock to show their support for the tribe.
"There's been a big groundswell of people around Aotearoa performing mass hakas in support of the peaceful protest happening over there at the front lines.
"Our main purpose is to stand and support our indigenous whanau and as tangata whenua and show them our love, support and gratitude for what they're going through at this sad time," Mr Tata said.
We're all human and it's about uniting and standing as guardians for our environment.
He said local Maori would lead the haka but it had been opened up to anyone - "we're all human and it's about uniting and standing as guardians for our environment."
The hakas were from drawn from the two main land war battles in Tauranga, Pukehinahina and Te Ranga.
Mr Tata said Tauranga Moana understood the impacts the Sioux tribe were facing, where economic value was being put before human rights.
"We understand those impacts, we've gone through confiscation of land," he said.
The haka would be videoed and photographed to compile an official video and photo collage.
Mr Tata said t-shirts had also been designed and would available to order for $30. Five dollars from each sale would go towards purchasing a taonga to gift to the Sioux tribe as a taonga from Tauranga Moana.
