Louisa Wall: New haka evokes pride and history

History and cultural practice is in the living. So it was with the sense of pride in being a New Zealander that the All Blacks developed a new haka Kapa o Pango (Team in Black) as an inclusive expression for all Kiwis to embrace as representative of who we are, where we come from and what is important to us as New Zealanders.

In Tana Umaga's words, "We have a lot of players from a lot of different cultures and haka is one of the things that bring us together."

This new haka, to be performed only on special occasions, was written by Derek Lardelli of Ngati Porou. Its words and actions celebrate our land and people, the silver fern and the pride and passion of being an All Black and New Zealander.

Haka is an action chant, originally performed by warriors before a battle, proclaiming their strength and prowess as an expression of passion, vigour and identity.

The reputation of the performers rose and fell on their ability to perform haka.

Haka has endured as the defining ritual practice before each match as the All Blacks battle their foes. South African captain John Smit said in his post-match interview last Saturday what a privilege it was for him and his team to be the first recipients of it.

Smit's warmth was echoed in the electric response of the crowd, and I'm sure all other Kiwis in their living rooms felt the significance of this haka too.

It was for me a demonstration of the unity and pride that can come from respect for, as opposed to fear of, aspects of our indigenous culture. We can all share in the riches of this cultural expression of what it means to be a Kiwi and to have an appreciation of the significance and relevance of such practices today.

But lest we forget the enduring legacy of Kamate, whose origins date back to 1810:

Chief Te Rauparaha of the Ngati Toa was being chased by his enemies. He hid in a food-storage pit and when he climbed out he found someone standing over him, who, instead of killing him, turned out to be another chief who was a friend.

In relief Te Rauparaha performed a haka with the words: "It is death, it is death. It is life, it is life. This is the man who enabled me to live as I climb up step by step toward sunlight."

And so New Zealand teams have been performing the Haka since 1884 when a team in New South Wales used a Maori war cry to introduce itself to its opponents before their matches.

It's worth noting that in 1903, the first official test match between New Zealand and Australia, the Kiwis used a mocking haka, Tupoto koe, Kangaru! Look out, Kangaroo!

Then in the 1905 tour to Britain "The Originals" cemented the use of Kamate, which was performed before the famous Welsh test, where, as reported in the Lyttelton Times, the crowd listened and watched in pleased silence, and thundered their approval at its close.

So, some now hope, today's Bledisloe Cup match and Tri-Nations decider is of such significance that we will again see the Kapa o Pango rendition.

But somehow I think it will be reserved for times when as a team the All Blacks need to refocus, rebuild and remember who and what they are representing.

Because Kapa o Pango has a personal relevance to this team, it should be used only as the challenge when reserves of strength are required to confront an advancing foe who have momentum on their side. The South Africans were on the hunt and hungry for another victory after several recent successes. Tonight we confront a wounded Wallaby searching for some pride to salvage a dismal season filled with injuries to key personnel.

I won't be disappointed with Kamate tonight and I know my three-year old nephew Giacomo won't.

He knows the actions to Kamate but he'll have to practice a little longer yet to master Kapa o Pango.

* Louisa Wall is a former New Zealand netball and rugby representative