It's hard to believe, but an English women's rugby team have created a bit of a stir in New Zealand after performing a topless dance for a calendar photo. In other words, they managed to upset someone more than 8,000 miles away.
The girls from the Canterbury women's rugby team in Kent went topless in their version of the sacred Ka Mate haka traditional Maori war dance for their 2007 calendar. The were doing their version of the war dance done by New Zealand's All Blacks men's rugby team for a single photo in their calendar.
But no sooner did the calendar go on sale than Maori academics labelled their interpretation of the Ka Mate haka as racially ignorant.
"It looks like misuse of the haka to me," Dr. Poia Rewi, senior lecturer in the School of Maori Studies at New Zealand's Otago University, told reporters. "I think Maori would be offended by this," he said.
"Women traditionally did do the haka, and if they really wanted to vent their spleen they might have been prompted to expose their private parts," he continued. "But that's the ultimate expression of soul feeling. If Maori aren't doing it now then I think other people who the culture doesn't belong to should be a bit cautious. It's not something I would promote."
Canterbury team member Rebecca Willis said they never meant to offend anyone.
"We didn't really know what we were doing so it was kind of the jump with a lot of noise," said the second-thrower. "We did it lots of times to get the picture right and luckily we had the field to ourselves. We never really thought it would offend people."
They must not have offended too many people because the calendar has already sold 500 copies, which is a few hundred more than the team members thought they would sell.
The girls from the Canterbury women's rugby team in Kent went topless in their version of the sacred Ka Mate haka traditional Maori war dance for their 2007 calendar. The were doing their version of the war dance done by New Zealand's All Blacks men's rugby team for a single photo in their calendar.
But no sooner did the calendar go on sale than Maori academics labelled their interpretation of the Ka Mate haka as racially ignorant.
"It looks like misuse of the haka to me," Dr. Poia Rewi, senior lecturer in the School of Maori Studies at New Zealand's Otago University, told reporters. "I think Maori would be offended by this," he said.
"Women traditionally did do the haka, and if they really wanted to vent their spleen they might have been prompted to expose their private parts," he continued. "But that's the ultimate expression of soul feeling. If Maori aren't doing it now then I think other people who the culture doesn't belong to should be a bit cautious. It's not something I would promote."
Canterbury team member Rebecca Willis said they never meant to offend anyone.
"We didn't really know what we were doing so it was kind of the jump with a lot of noise," said the second-thrower. "We did it lots of times to get the picture right and luckily we had the field to ourselves. We never really thought it would offend people."
They must not have offended too many people because the calendar has already sold 500 copies, which is a few hundred more than the team members thought they would sell.
I'll bet many a Maori warrior got a good laugh out of the photo, assuming they even got to see it. Judging from the photo, their coach even joined in ... either that or one of the women has a beard and mustache and a very flat chest, hehehe! You go, Canturbery female rugby players! You're definitely a team of haka-haka hot women! Hehehe!
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