“Harkah” Misunderstood

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30575, 19 October 1964, Page 16

“Harkah” Misunderstood

The haka, a strange thing to Japanese eyes, is causing quite a stir at the Olympic Games—even if it does not appear to be completely understood.

The hockey team has performed the haka before starting a match and excited great enthusiasm among the crowd, which comprised mostly school children.

However, instead of maintaining an awed and admiring silence before bursting into applause after the climactic leap, the children clapped all the way through—somewhat to the detriment of the performance.

After P. G. Snell won the 800 metres on Friday a group of New Zealanders leapt on the track and gave an impromptu

performance while the crowd goggled and officials scampered to shoo them off.

One consequence was that next morning a newspaper photograph showing Snell with his arms raised high after breaking the tape was seen as an “emulation of the harkah, his country's battle cry.”