KAUMATUA KAPA HAKA

 

The Kaumatua Kapa Haka programme seeks to encourage (pakeke) adult Māori 55 years and over to get active through Māori Performing Arts.

 

Kaumatua Kapa Haka had origins through the kaupapa of Taikura. Taikura is the inner most core of a tree. Taikura represents the most cherished qualities of traditional Māori Knowledge that has been handed down from generation to generation. Taikura underpins the values that sustain the mana of the whānau, hapu and iwi.

 

A principal aim of He Kura Te Tangata (Kaumatua Kapa Haka) is to maintain and retain traditional Māori knowledge and cultural practices from pre 1972 representing “a point in time” during the development of Māori Performing Arts.

 

Aim

The Kaumatua Kapa Haka programme seeks to encourage (pakeke) adult Maori 55 years and over to get active through Māori Performing Arts.

 

He Kura Te Tangata –Kaumatua Kapa Haka is designed for senior knowledgeable kapa haka performers and enthusiasts (55 years and over) to perform tribal, hapu, whānau haka, waiata, moteatea, and poi that were performed pre 1972.

 

He Kura Te Tangata –Kaumatua Kapa Haka will promote the retention of traditional Māori knowledge and practices by encouraging active participation of senior kapa haka exponents, performing haka in a non competitive environment and to use the Kaupapa to share stories and experiences with their children, grandchildren and other whānau.

 

Objectives

To improve the quality of life for (pakeke) adult Maori 55 years and over through Māori Performing Arts

 

• To utilise the skills and knowledge of (pakeke) adult Māori 55 years and over to preserve and perpetuate whānau, hapu and tribal Haka and waiata.

• To create a knowledge base of whanau, hapu and tribal waiata, poi, waiata ā ringa and haka that were composed prior to 1972.

• To increase the capacity of our kaumatua and kuia to improve the status of family values through improving positive leadership models. 

 

Ngati Kahungunu Kaumatua attend the, “He Kura Te Tangata – Matariki Celebrations” annually alongside other Kaumatua kapa haka groups from around the motu. In 2015 this was held at Te Papa National Museum, Wellington.