Excerpt from BBC Radio transcript:
"The New Zealand government has agreed to acknowledge Maori ownership of the haka war dance used by the national rugby team, the All Blacks.
The agreement comes after protracted negotiations between the government and several Maori tribes seeking compensation for historic grievances.
Millions of dollars are being paid in a comprehensive settlement.
The move follows concerns the Ka Mate haka, known to rugby fans world-wide, was being commercially exploited.
In 2006, an advertisement for Fiat cars featured Italian women doing a version of the haka.
The challenge has also featured in a cinema film about rugby called Forever Strong.
The government has now agreed that the Ka Mate haka belongs to a Maori tribe, the Ngati Toa.
Its chief, Te Rauparaha, was recognised as the originator of the haka, written to celebrate his escape from death in a battle in the 1820s."
Note: I grew up in Hawaii watching the haka performed but never knew its origins until now. The University of Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Football team performs their own haka before every game, but a Hawaiian version. Makes the adrenaline rise, probably the testosterone, too.
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