A group of teenage students has gone viral on TikTok after performing a spine-tingling Māori haka inside a school gymnasium in New Zealand.
A video shared by TikTok account @papa.and.pepe on Jan. 31 shows a group of schoolboys performing the haka during what appears to be a school presentation in their gymnasium.
@papa.and.pepe Back to kura for 2023 #maori #māori #maoritiktok #polytiktok #haka #school #fyp #foryoupage #wharekura #tekaokaoroaopātetere ♬ original sound – Papa & Pepe
“Back to kura for 2023,” the post’s caption states, with “kura” being the Māori word for school.
A hashtag used in the post — #tekaokaoroaopātetere — seems to indicate that the presentation took place at Te Wharekura O Te Kaokaoroa O Pātetere, a level 1 Māori immersion school in Putāruru, New Zealand.
The school is reportedly a wharekura, a secondary school in New Zealand that uses Māori language and teaches Māori principles.
The Jan. 31 post has gone viral on TikTok, gaining over 56 million views and 7 million likes.
Several TikTok users found the video endearing, with one user commenting, “Love to see the younger generations embracing their culture with so much love and proudness.”
“Seeing the younger kids then the camera panning to the older students, so beautiful,” another user wrote.
“Straight up felt the mana there BoyZ,” another user said, while another wrote, “Beauty and culture portrayed through pure emotion. Never fails to give me goosebumps.”
Another TikTok video uploaded by @papa.and.pepe has also gone viral with over 2 million views and 196,000 likes.
The 42-second clip shows female students performing their own haka.
The post’s caption includes the words “Wāhine Toa,” which translates to “warrior women.”
@papa.and.pepe Wāhine Toa | Strong Māori #māori #maori #maoritiktok #polytiktok #waiata #haka #school #fyp #foryoupage #wharekura #tekaokaoroaopātetere ♬ original sound – Papa & Pepe
The haka, which was traditionally used by warriors while preparing for battle, is now performed during other important occasions, such as weddings and sporting events.
