Comments on: Cultural appropriation of the kick-ass kind http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2008/10/04/cultural-appropriation-of-the-kick-ass-kind/ EthanZ's musings on Africa, media and international development Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:45:31 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Advertising News » Blog Archive » New Globalism: The Haka… in Euless, TX? http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2008/10/04/cultural-appropriation-of-the-kick-ass-kind/comment-page-1/#comment-1310372 Advertising News » Blog Archive » New Globalism: The Haka… in Euless, TX? Fri, 21 Nov 2008 11:48:43 +0000 http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/?p=2268#comment-1310372 [...] Ethan Zuckerman has a great post today on "cultural appropriation." Well, it seems that a high school football team in Euless, TX (outside of Dallas, where I live) has been doing the "Haka." It’s a traditional Maori dance… and quite intimidating. See for yourself below. [...] [...] Ethan Zuckerman has a great post today on "cultural appropriation." Well, it seems that a high school football team in Euless, TX (outside of Dallas, where I live) has been doing the "Haka." It’s a traditional Maori dance… and quite intimidating. See for yourself below. [...]

]]> By: PM Roundup: You’re Going To Go Far, Kid | antiDNA.com http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2008/10/04/cultural-appropriation-of-the-kick-ass-kind/comment-page-1/#comment-1249032 PM Roundup: You’re Going To Go Far, Kid | antiDNA.com Mon, 20 Oct 2008 00:25:10 +0000 http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/?p=2268#comment-1249032 [...] Te­xas­ footb­all te­am­ has­ adopte­d a n­e­w pre­g­am­e­ ritual. (...My hear­t’s­ in­ Ac­c­r­a) [...] [...] Te­xas­ footb­all te­am­ has­ adopte­d a n­e­w pre­g­am­e­ ritual. (…My hear­t’s­ in­ Ac­c­r­a) [...]

]]> By: Angus Turnbull http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2008/10/04/cultural-appropriation-of-the-kick-ass-kind/comment-page-1/#comment-1244381 Angus Turnbull Thu, 16 Oct 2008 05:10:35 +0000 http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/?p=2268#comment-1244381 Congrats on an interesting, well written article -- good to see some Maori culture on the world stage! (Linked via Kottke, reading from New Zealand). If you like the idea of the Tall Blacks, see if you can convince <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badminton_New_Zealand" rel="nofollow">Badminton NZ</a> to go with their original suggestion for the national team ;). Congrats on an interesting, well written article — good to see some Maori culture on the world stage! (Linked via Kottke, reading from New Zealand).

If you like the idea of the Tall Blacks, see if you can convince Badminton NZ to go with their original suggestion for the national team ;).

]]> By: Destructor http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2008/10/04/cultural-appropriation-of-the-kick-ass-kind/comment-page-1/#comment-1239364 Destructor Sun, 12 Oct 2008 23:37:22 +0000 http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/?p=2268#comment-1239364 Hmm. Not sure how I feel about this- I don't have strong feelings about it, but I think I lean more on the side of the commenter who asked why they were doing the Ka Mate over the Sipi Tau. Sometimes when things have strong cultural ties it feels a bit wrong when those things are appropriated by others out of context (the Spice Girls and Robbie Williams have both used the haka, for example). In New Zealand schools, for example, it's really bad form to sit on desks, because the Maori people believe the head is sacred and you do not sit where your head should be. This is tapu (the root word for the English word 'taboo'). This feels a little like sitting on the desk to me. Hmm. Not sure how I feel about this- I don’t have strong feelings about it, but I think I lean more on the side of the commenter who asked why they were doing the Ka Mate over the Sipi Tau. Sometimes when things have strong cultural ties it feels a bit wrong when those things are appropriated by others out of context (the Spice Girls and Robbie Williams have both used the haka, for example). In New Zealand schools, for example, it’s really bad form to sit on desks, because the Maori people believe the head is sacred and you do not sit where your head should be. This is tapu (the root word for the English word ‘taboo’).

This feels a little like sitting on the desk to me.

]]> By: Intimidating cultural appropriation | Holly Swanson http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2008/10/04/cultural-appropriation-of-the-kick-ass-kind/comment-page-1/#comment-1237803 Intimidating cultural appropriation | Holly Swanson Sat, 11 Oct 2008 07:20:18 +0000 http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/?p=2268#comment-1237803 [...] The high school football team in Euless, TX (population 52,900) starts their games by performing the..., a chanting dance used to intimidating effect by New Zealand’s All Blacks rugby team. What’s odd/interesting about this is that the Maori chant was appropriated by the team’s contingent of Tongan players — whose parents moved to the town to work at DFW airport — and has led to a greater sense of acceptance of the Tongans into the larger community. How’s that for multiculturalism? [...] [...] The high school football team in Euless, TX (population 52,900) starts their games by performing the…, a chanting dance used to intimidating effect by New Zealand’s All Blacks rugby team. What’s odd/interesting about this is that the Maori chant was appropriated by the team’s contingent of Tongan players — whose parents moved to the town to work at DFW airport — and has led to a greater sense of acceptance of the Tongans into the larger community. How’s that for multiculturalism? [...]

]]> By: PE http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2008/10/04/cultural-appropriation-of-the-kick-ass-kind/comment-page-1/#comment-1233118 PE Wed, 08 Oct 2008 01:54:52 +0000 http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/?p=2268#comment-1233118 Came here via Kottke. Great write-up. Well done. Came here via Kottke. Great write-up. Well done.

]]> By: kd http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2008/10/04/cultural-appropriation-of-the-kick-ass-kind/comment-page-1/#comment-1233087 kd Wed, 08 Oct 2008 01:24:21 +0000 http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/?p=2268#comment-1233087 The path of the haka around the globe has long fascinated me. There was an incident September 2007 where the University of Hawaii football team was given a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct for a pre-game haka. My Hawaiian connections were pretty stirred up about this. It was all over the Hawaiin media but today in a brief online search I find this link to the incident http://archives.starbulletin.com/2007/09/16/sports/notebook.html The great rugby nation of South Africa provided the platform for street children to perform their versions of the haka in imitation of what went on on the rugby fields, as part of their begging repertory. This was especially prevalent on the streets at the Grahamstown Festival of the Arts in the nineties. The path of the haka around the globe has long fascinated me. There was an incident September 2007 where the University of Hawaii football team was given a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct for a pre-game haka. My Hawaiian connections were pretty stirred up about this. It was all over the Hawaiin media but today in a brief online search I find this link to the incident

http://archives.starbulletin.com/2007/09/16/sports/notebook.html

The great rugby nation of South Africa provided the platform for street children to perform their versions of the haka in imitation of what went on on the rugby fields, as part of their begging repertory. This was especially prevalent on the streets at the Grahamstown Festival of the Arts in the nineties.

]]> By: Allyson Wille Seaborn http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2008/10/04/cultural-appropriation-of-the-kick-ass-kind/comment-page-1/#comment-1233026 Allyson Wille Seaborn Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:15:40 +0000 http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/?p=2268#comment-1233026 Ethan I am enjoying reading all of your articles! My 3&4 year olds can do the haka. Their father taught it to them and they regularly do it before dinner when they are hungry! :) Ethan I am enjoying reading all of your articles! My 3&4 year olds can do the haka. Their father taught it to them and they regularly do it before dinner when they are hungry! :)

]]> By: Moz Notes » Blog Archive » Kailao Vs. Haka http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2008/10/04/cultural-appropriation-of-the-kick-ass-kind/comment-page-1/#comment-1232743 Moz Notes » Blog Archive » Kailao Vs. Haka Tue, 07 Oct 2008 19:55:04 +0000 http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/?p=2268#comment-1232743 [...] Related articles by ZemantaCultural appropriation of the kick-ass kind [...] [...] Related articles by ZemantaCultural appropriation of the kick-ass kind [...]

]]> By: sonja http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2008/10/04/cultural-appropriation-of-the-kick-ass-kind/comment-page-1/#comment-1232479 sonja Tue, 07 Oct 2008 15:28:46 +0000 http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/?p=2268#comment-1232479 I wish the Tongans would use something from their own culture rather than a haka, which is all mashed up and out of context. The words 'Ka mate' mean "die!" and so can mean death to you or death to me. I read it is as death to you (the other) because a haka is usually addressed to the other as a form of challenge. It was (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Te_Rauparaha) Te_Rauparaha's haka, a haka unwelcome by southern Maori because he killed so many, and so when i heard that the haka for the rubgy-players had been changed I was delighted. As a New Zealander, first the haka, they do, isn't a haka as far as I am concerned but a rather silly approximation because they don't have the movements right nor the text, which seems to be all jumbled up. So nice you bought this to attention, but I wish that the Tongans would pick something from their own culture and be creative with this. I wish the Tongans would use something from their own culture rather than a haka, which is all mashed up and out of context. The words ‘Ka mate’ mean “die!” and so can mean death to you or death to me. I read it is as death to you (the other) because a haka is usually addressed to the other as a form of challenge.

It was (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Te_Rauparaha) Te_Rauparaha’s haka, a haka unwelcome by southern Maori because he killed so many, and so when i heard that the haka for the rubgy-players had been changed I was delighted.

As a New Zealander, first the haka, they do, isn’t a haka as far as I am concerned but a rather silly approximation because they don’t have the movements right nor the text, which seems to be all jumbled up. So nice you bought this to attention, but I wish that the Tongans would pick something from their own culture and be creative with this.

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