Welcoming important guests has always been an occasion for kapa haka performances. This clip from a government newsreel shows the haka pōwhiri (ceremonies of welcome) on Wellington's Aotea Quay in January 1946 for 780 surviving members of the 28th (Māori) Battalion. The performance features women using traditional weapons such as the taiaha (fighting staff). This practice was reintroduced by kapa haka groups in the 1990s, when it was often condemned as contrary to Māori custom.
Using this item
Archives New Zealand – Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga
Reference:
Weekly Review 232. National Film Unit, 1946
This item is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 New Zealand Licence
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