Viking haka
Kama Te becomes big business in Denmark
I had the realisation that what we have in haka is so powerful, so emotive. There’s talk in Denmark of a Viking revival and haka is giving a pathway to that history and ancestry. It’s an ancient art form, there’s an emotional link and a bond there. Kane Harnett-Mutu
Kane Harnett-Mutu squares up to haka, staunch, barefoot, his hairs standing upright on goose-bumped forearms. His voice vibrates but never falters as he calls to his ancestors 18,000 kilometres away.
The mana Harnett-Mutu feels is deeply ingrained and fiercely loyal. It’s a pride the Whakatane-born Mᾱori wants to share with Denmark, his home for the past 17 years.
After decades working as a corporate lawyer he had ‘‘reached the end of [his] tether’’ and was desperate for a lifestyle change. Around this time an emotional haka at a Kiwi wedding blew up online, and Harnett-Mutu was invited on a Danish morning show to perform Ka Mate and speak about his Mᾱori heritage. The clip was the most viewed segment in the show’s 19-year history.
He woke up to find his Facebook accounted inundated with more than 500 messages from people keen to know more, and Harnett-Mutu cultivated the idea of profiling and celebrating Aotearoa and Mᾱori culture throughout Scandinavia.
‘‘I had the realisation that what we have in haka is so powerful, so emotive. There’s talk in Denmark of a Viking revival and haka is giving a pathway to that history and ancestry. It’s an ancient art form, there’s an emotional link and a bond there.’’
Ka mate is known the world over largely thanks to the All Blacks. Written by Ngati Toa chief Te Rauparaha in the 1820s, it’s been appropriated by companies all over the world in recent years, forcing the iwi to enshrine their intellectual property over the haka in law.
Harnett-Mutu launched the Mᾱori Haka Movement in Copenhagen in 2007, and is believed to be the only person in mainland Europe to teach authentic haka.
Over the last 11 years, it has developed into a pathway for businesses to build bonds and overcome challenges. The underlying philosophy thrived on vocal and coordination skills and a strong physical form to champion the mana of Mᾱoridom.
Although deeply rewarding, the work was not always easy. Harnett-Mutu was invited to a major business conference, only to find the company had been sold, jobs were on the line and morale was at rock-bottom.
Mistrust was rife and his usual approach went out the window.
‘‘I had them take off their shoes and socks and go outside. I built trust with every individual, spoke about the hongi, the history, the respect and tried to take away their fear and slowly they opened themselves up physically and emotionally, together.
‘‘They left feeling better about each other, and for that day, that was enough.’’
Harnett-Mutu charges $133 for a sixweek course in which he teaches Danes to use their ‘‘body and voice as tools to access inner power’’.
Despite his vast experience and having long ago mastered the craft, Harnett-Mutu doesn’t see himself as a chief, ‘‘more of a vessel for a type of unkempt energy people often don’t know they have’’.
‘‘I orchestrate energy and give it back to them in a way they can express and understand.’’
Some people struggled with the concept and refused to participate, but most were willing to give the unknown a go.
‘‘My mantra is your soul will always tell an authentic story, and even if we try to hide it will always reveal itself eventually.’’
It’s about the essence of each movement, the connection to his whakapapa and committing to the unknown. Even in extreme unfamiliarity, connections could be found, he said.
He said the company was ‘‘ruffling a few feathers’’ back home – but he hadn’t encountered any negativity. But Harnett-Mutu, from Ngati Kahu, said he had garnered deep respect and appreciation from his whanau and elders.
He wanted those who thought he was misappropriating the haka for financial gain to know first and foremost, the haka was a ‘‘precious gift’’ that was to be treasured. The responsibility to respect and care for that gift was a role he took extremely seriously.
‘‘Every company wants to be brave, to be strong and confident and to stand up to the competition. That is haka.
‘‘If we didn’t want people to hear it, why did we make it so loud?’’
Former Mᾱori Party co-leader Marama Fox thinks what Harnett-Mutu is doing is spot-on.
‘‘I think it’s phenomenal to be encouraging the use of Mᾱori language and culture worldwide,’’ Fox said. She is always hearing
comments from people visiting New Zealand they are surprised Mᾱori are not thriving here and language is not given much prominence.
It is a beautiful language and culture, and people from countries with their own rich culture understand that, Fox said.
‘‘Culture speaks to culture.’’
Ka Mate, was made world-famous by the All Blacks, and is a taonga (treasure) to Ngᾱti Toa Rangatira. It is covered in New Zealand legislation in the Haka Ka Mate Attribution Act 2014. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) administers the act.
‘‘Like all New Zealand legislation, the act does not apply in overseas jurisdictions, like Denmark. However, anyone can contact Te Ru¯ nanga o Toa Rangatira to seek guidance on whether a proposed use of Ka Mate would be considered acceptable or appropriate,’’ an MBIE spokesperson said.
‘‘The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment is statutorily required to review the act from 2019. In this review, we will consider whether the interests of Ngᾱti Toa Rangatira relating to Ka Mate are sufficiently protected and, if not, what additional protection may be required.’’
The Government is currently considering how to progress better protection of mᾱtauranga Mᾱori (Mᾱori traditional knowledge) and traditional cultural expressions such as Ka Mate both in New Zealand’s intellectual property regime, and in the international intellectual property system – for example, in the ongoing discussions at the World Intellectual Property Organisation’s Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore.
The committee’s work centres on text-based negotiations with the objective of agreeing international standards for the protection of traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions. Agreement at the committee would enable countries to coordinate protection of traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions across borders.
For business owners or individuals who wish to use Mᾱori cultural elements, the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand has released a guide, Protecting intellectual property with a Mᾱori cultural element. This guide also discusses the special advisory process for the consideration of Mᾱori cultural elements in patents and trademarks by a Mᾱori advisory committee.