Haka for a wedding!

Mikeybbb

Hi, getting married in January and wondering does anyone know of a maoiri group or group that preform the Haka at events! Think it might be cool! 2 of us are big rugby fans as are a lot of the guests?!!

pwurple

You could learn it yourselves...

But I don't know if a war cry /battle chant is suitable for a wedding. Where's the battle? The in-laws?

mcgiggles

You could ask a local rugby team would they do (learn) it and throw a few euro to them? Or have the DJ announce a boy vs girl dance off and have a bunch of your friends do it! But there are a few types of haka (it's the generic term for Maori dances) the Ka Mate is the war cry one but it also can be used for celebrating success or welcoming guests! (According to a quick Google search😉)

Sapphire

Do either of you have Maori ancestry, or a connection to any of the pacific islands ? If not, then probably best not to do one.

I saw it at wedding in Ireland and it was brilliant so I can understand you liking the idea. But half the lads doing it were Maori or of Maori descent, the rest playing/had played for national teams that used the haka. Plus half the speeches were in Maori and a lot of smaller touches were also integrated into the wedding because one of the couple hailed from that part of the world and lived there. So leaving out a haka would have been odd. It worked because of the cultural and personal link to the couple and their family.

Doing one in a wedding where there is no cultural significance is a bit notiony, sorry. If you are big rugby fans you could incorporate other touches that would be relevant to the sport like table names or favours and maybe more tasteful.

jon1981

If there's no strong NZ family connection then this sounds ridiculous ... name the tables after Irish Rugby captains or something...put an oval ball on top of the cake, throw a rugby ball instead of the flowers ... but the haka? no, just no.

baby and crumble

TBH my first thought when I read this thread initially was that it was actually a little bit ignorant to do this if you don't have Maori heritage. Same as having Native Americans in full gear to do a "show" at your wedding, or something. I definitely agree that t here's other ways to bring the rugby thing in without getting a group to do the Haka.

me_irl

baby and crumble wrote: »

TBH my first thought when I read this thread initially was that it was actually a little bit ignorant to do this if you don't have Maori heritage. Same as having Native Americans in full gear to do a "show" at your wedding, or something. I definitely agree that t here's other ways to bring the rugby thing in without getting a group to do the Haka.

Get everyone to lock arms and sing "Ireland's Call" :pac:

As other, more eloquent, posters put it this is a horrible idea.

harr

Sapphire wrote: »

Do either of you have Maori ancestry, or a connection to any of the pacific islands ? If not, then probably best not to do one.

I saw it at wedding in Ireland and it was brilliant so I can understand you liking the idea. But half the lads doing it were Maori or of Maori descent, the rest playing/had played for national teams that used the haka. Plus half the speeches were in Maori and a lot of smaller touches were also integrated into the wedding because one of the couple hailed from that part of the world and lived there. So leaving out a haka would have been odd. It worked because of the cultural and personal link to the couple and their family.

Doing one in a wedding where there is no cultural significance is a bit notiony, sorry. If you are big rugby fans you could incorporate other touches that would be relevant to the sport like table names or favours and maybe more tasteful.

Agree with this...seems odd to have a Haka at a wedding especially if no connection with the Maori culture...as mentioned above have your tables named after rugby teams nicknames or similar...

Electric Sheep

Sorry, I agree with the others. Cringe inducing cultural appropriation.

_Jamie_

Jays, poor OP.

Electric Sheep

Better for OP to hear it now than after the wedding, though.

Second Toughest in_the Freshers

The Maori......sorry I don't know how that got in there, of course there are no Maori on Craggy Island

Sunny Dayz

It's a bad idea as other guests have pointed out. Unless one of you is of Maori decedent it would be a bit offensive IMO. One of my friends and her other half are big rugby followers and they named their tables after rugby players, the top table being named after her favourite player!

Second Toughest in_the Freshers

offensive to who though?

baby and crumble

Second Toughest in_the Freshers wrote: »

offensive to who though?

The people whose culture and traditions you're putting on as entertainment...

Second Toughest in_the Freshers

shur how would they know anything about it?

baby and crumble

Why bother not being racist if you don't know any black people?

Sure, no worries making jokes about female rape if there's no women around.

If I was at a wedding where there were zero cultural ties to the Maori people and the Hakka came on, TBH id be mortified for them.

D9Male

OP is a joke, surely?

jacksie66

This post has been deleted.

Electric Sheep

Second Toughest in_the Freshers wrote: »

shur how would they know anything about it?

When the happy couple makes the obligatory attempt to "go viral" by YouTube, quite a lot of people will know about it.

Toots

I think this thread has run its course, seeing as the OP hasn't come back to it I'm going to lock it.

OP if you want it reopened, just drop a PM to Faith or myself.