There seems to be a bit of hoo haa over Miss New Zealand doing the haka. Lets look at where the so-called haka came from.

It doesn't belong to the people called Maori, originally it was the Dance Of Bes of Egypt. Bes was a little bowlegged dwarf with red hair. He is depicted with his hands on his hips and tongue poking out. He was a fun little god who danced for the children, Bes was very popular with folks of Ancient Egypt.

He was a god of amusement, pleasure, dance and was often depicted as carrying a weapon for the protection of women and children.

The dance of Bes was a special stance, a spiritual movement that has been changed into a war like performance and negative action.

The Picts/Gaels used a similar challenge and the chant in old Gaelic was very similar in sound to some of the old Maori challenges.

Also sometimes the Celtic women used to stand on ridges above a battle and chant egging the men on in battle.

Some used to actually fight with their menfolk and a warrior women had a fighting school on Skye/Scotland where warriors of both sexes taught the art of war.

I Brougham, Wanganui.