Amy Poehler has revealed that watching a Haka makes her 'head to toe overwhelmed'. Photo / Getty iMAGES
Amy Poehler has revealed that watching a Haka makes her 'head to toe overwhelmed'. Photo / Getty iMAGES
A-list actress and comedian Amy Poehler has confessed a Māori custom has brought her to tears.
Poehler is currently promoting the release of her new movie, Inside Out 2 and when discussing what fans can expect from the sequel to the 2015 animated film, she spoke about her character, Joy, and more specifically what brings her joy.
Sitting down with Australian news outlet, Pedestrian, the Parks and Recreation star confessed, “You know what brings me joy that I was watching late last night,” she said, “Is I love people performing the haka.”
The Hollywood heavyweight continued to say she loves the “combination of the physicality of it and the sound of it and then someone receiving it”. She admitted, “That makes me feel head-to-toe overwhelmed in a good way.”
While Poehler revealed she has “never seen a haka in person” she has seen many videos on the social media app TikTok, of “dad’s doing it at their daughter’s weddings” and “graduations”, noting “It makes me cry so hard and it’s so incredible”.
The actress isn’t the only star to share their love for the traditional Māori dance; Jason Momoa has also spoken about his admiration for the custom and has even performed one while at the Aquaman premiere in 2018.
After walking the red carpet, the Game of Thrones actor and Kiwi actor Temuera Morrison, who plays Momoa’s on-screen dad in Aquaman - took off his jacket and began leading the performance.
Momoa has also had his fair share of greetings, which have included a haka, including in January last year when he was welcomed to a West Auckland marae with a pōwhiri and a haka.
Jason Momoa (centre) performs a haka during the Hawaii screening of Aquaman on December 21, 2018 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Photo / Getty Images
While haka is the Māori word for dance, the act itself was traditionally used by warriors before they went to battle in an effort to show both cultural pride and physical strength and power.
In more recent times, the custom has been used to signify respect and is often performed on important occasions such as weddings, funerals, pōwhiri’ and sporting events.
The All Blacks perform the haka at the Rugby World Cup in France in 2023. Photo / Andrew Cornaga
The All Blacks have taken a version of the haka called Ka Mate, to the world stage for over 120 years, performing it before every test match.
New Zealand’s women’s rugby team, the Black Ferns are also known to perform a specially created haka, Ko Ūhia Mai (Let It Be Known), before their games.
