Ka ora' Ka ora'

Last night we went to a pub to watch the All Blacks' test match against the French with some new friends. While those from rugby-playing nations are well familiar with the Haka already, as an American, this was brand new information to me when I first saw it a couple years ago. I am still thrilled to trembles whenever I see it. Here's a video of the Haka from last week's test match against France (I didn't think last week's performance was as good as yesterday's, but I can't find a video of last night's on YouTube...)


It's all in Maori. I was wondering what they are saying, so I consulted Wikipedia. This is what I found:

Leader:
Ringa pakia! (Slap the hands against the thighs!)
Uma tiraha! (Puff out the chest!)
Turi whatia! (Bend the knees!)
Hope whai ake! (Let the hip follow!)
Waewae takahia kia kino! (Stamp the feet as hard as you can!)

Team:
Ka mate, ka mate ('I die, I die,)
Ka ora' Ka ora' ('I live, 'I live,)

Leader:
Ka mate, ka mate ('I die, 'I die)

Team:
Ka ora Ka ora " ('I live, 'I live,)

All:
Tēnei te tangata pūhuruhuru (This is the hairy man)
Nāna i tiki mai whakawhiti te rā (...Who caused the sun to shine again for me)
Upane... Upane (Up the ladder, Up the ladder)
Upane Kaupane" (Up to the top)
Whiti te rā,! (The sun shines!)
Hī! (Rise!)

I don't know who this hairy man is that they're talking about.

We're really excited for next week's test match against Italy because it's being played in Christchurch. Although we're generally trying to live on a budget right now, we couldn't resist getting tickets to this match - call it part of our cultural immersion process. They weren't too expensive - $40 each for seats right next to the pitch. I'm super excited to see the Haka up close and in person. We should try to find out more about this hairy man and his ladder.