VI. TRIBAL STYLES OF DANCING

Te Ao Hou, Royal Tour 1953, Page 58

VI. TRIBAL STYLES OF DANCING ARAWA It is hard to state what was the characteristic of the admirable performance of these, the ‘tangata whenua’, who had vowed not to suffer defeat in the friendly rivalry on their own ‘marae’. In the volume of sound produced they were first, for theirs was the largest ‘taua’, and incessant practice had made their throats as of brass. They made a great impression. One picture lingered in the mind's eye for days afterwards, that of the venerable Pokiha Taranui (Major Fox), aged and dying, yet calling up his last reserve of energy—almost to the last flicker of life as it proved later on—to swing the big claymore, the sword of honour presented to him by the Queen, wildly before the wide front of his ‘taua’. NGAPUHI With the exception of the Tuwharetoa war-dance, which followed, the Ngapuhi performance was one of the wildest of that day. Each man strove to leap as high as possible, and exerted himself in every action to the utmost extent. And this marked the special characteristic of the Ngapuhi war-dances and hakas, for in them more latitude within obvious limits is given to individual effort, the Ngapuhi combining the emulation of individual against individual with that of tribe against tribe. TUWHARETOA There is a marked difference in this tribe's method of dancing. Whereas all the others leap from alternate feet, the ‘tauas’ of Taupo spring from both at once. The result is a higher spring, heavier fall, and a pause between the two in mid-air, as though the ‘taua’ were on the wing—wherein lies the marked speciality of this tribe's ‘peruperu’. As the men rise, their feet, rising together, come into line with the bent closed knees, and give a grand uniform effect in the momentary pause in mid-air, every foot and lower limb in exact line. NGATI-KAHUNGUNU Big, heavy men of magnificent physique, broad-shouldered, and strong-loined, they presented a striking contrast to their cousins, the Ngati-Porou, who were slim, active and wiry; and the appearance of their ‘taua’ was not so uniform. With similar words of command they rose to their feet with ‘taiaha’ lifted high to the right. They were a grand ‘peruperu’. With slower step than that of the Ngati-Porou, they leaped as high, shook the ground with heavier tread, and shouted with louder chorus.