A Matter of Life & Death
A MALE HAKA WARRIOR, dressed in a black, white, and red tāniko kilt, comes out of the meeting house on Waitangi Treaty Grounds in Bay of Islands, New Zealand, pointing a Maori spear at us. Each move is made in caution and defiance, ready for war. After a dramatic presentation of aggressive moves that include manoeuvring the spear and stamping the feet to loud chanting, he places a green leaf on the ground. Dan, a volunteer ‘tribe chief’ from our group, accepts it—a sign that we come in peace.
We are welcomed into the meeting room and take our seats on wooden benches before a stage where a group of eight ceremonial dancers present the haka, a Maori war dance as well as social performance. The rhythmic
