ABSTRACT
Haka is a globally recognised vehicle for expressing political conviction, specifically when enacted by/through an indigenous body. This chapter opens with a haka of protest performed by leading Māori doctor and cultural advocate, Dr Lance O’Sullivan, at a screening of an infamous international ‘anti-vax’ documentary in 2017. Locating this act in context, this discussion draws out the multifarious meanings of haka through the lens of Te Ao Māori, the Māori world. Exploring these ideas further in relation to contemporary Māori theatre, the chapter suggests ways that the continued decontextualisation of the form ¾ appropriated and consumed as commercialised cultural fodder ¾ render haka an unreliable sign of Māori performativity.
