M-A football games used to begin with the team huddled up, erupting into a deafening performance of intense shouts, commanding facial expressions, thunderous stomping, and protruding tongues. This is the haka, a traditional New Zealand Māori dance that displays pride, unity, and strength.
Famously performed by New Zealand’s All Blacks rugby team prior to their matches as a means of intimidating their opponents while also paying homage to their Māori heritage, the dance returned to M-A this year.
The team paused the tradition during the COVID-19 pandemic, preventing it from being passed down for nearly five years. During this summer’s practices, though, the team didn’t just play football—they also learned the haka.
Under the leadership of junior Jordan Lavulo, sophomore Sione Pahulu, and seniors Amaloni Mohetau and Devin Hyde, the team came together to revive the tradition. “The haka is part of M-A’s history,” Lavulo said. “We brought it back because it brings our team together.”
Both M-A and its football team have historically had large Polynesian populations, and the haka is a powerful form of representation for Polynesian culture on campus.
“One thing that makes the haka so impactful at M-A is that our football team is a place where lots of different kids come together. It takes all sizes and shapes to make a good football team, and the haka embodies that,” staff member Jennifer Carson said.
The haka made its first reappearance at freshman orientation, where the football team’s passionate chants welcomed a new generation of students.
“It was super motivating to see different cultures being integrated into a big group,” freshman Ines Bensoussan said.
At the first Friday Night Lights of the year, the varsity football team once again boosted the crowd’s spirit and intimidated their opponents with a fiery haka.
“The haka makes football more than just a game,” junior football player Matthew Kwon said.
