Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Haka, Deux

I previously noted evidence of mainstream disrespect in the UK for the Haka. On that occasion it was the BBC, now followed up by a pointless ridiculing of the Haka by the Royal Shakespeare Company.

I think, rather sadly, of the support New Zealand has given to tours of our country by the Royal Shakespeare Company, and the veneration of Shakespeare in general which remains a compulsory part of our school curriculum. But the time has long past where on culture art is "high" and anothers "low".

The Haka is also a historical and living artistic creation. As artists the producer and players should have had some notion that the Haka is, as such, due respect and under legal protection from abuse (having been recognised by the NZ government as the property of Ngati Toa).

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I've fallen out from my Catholic upbringing, but I wouldn't be comfortable performing a backward mass for entertainment purposes. There's a difference between poking fun at individual cases of fanaticism or abuses within religion, and mocking an entire religious culture. I can understand why the Maori folks are upset.