A whole new generation of tamariki in America has embraced the haka.
Our All Blacks hosted their first youth clinic in San Diego, United States, before their test match against Fiji over the weekend.
The clinic saw a bunch of American younguns take on 3-5 days of training, learning the ropes from ABs players, including Captain Scott Barrett, Mark Telea, Ethan Blackadder, and Rieko Ioane.
To wrap up their time, the tamariki aged 8-13 put on a special performance of ‘Ka Mate’.
The group had just three days to learn the haka, but they absolutely aced it.
Loads of people jumped into the comments to tautoko the effort these young kiddos put into their performance.
"That's respect and love," said one commenter.
"The haka is such an important part of New Zealand culture," said another. "It's great to see young athletes learning and respecting it 🌏 💪."
Another added: "This is so cool that these kids got to engage with the All Blacks, rugby, and also learn the haka."
These American youngsters aren’t the only ones getting into haka.
Earlier this month, the Māori All Blacks were in Japan for a test series against their rugby union team.
As they landed in Tokyo, the ABs were greeted with a haka from a group of Japanese tamariki who attend Kashiwa Rugby School.
You could tell they were putting all their mana into it for the fellas.
One commenter praised the tamariki for their “commitment and intensity,” showing “respect to the All Blacks and Māori culture.”
“This is how we unite the world,” said another.
It’s epic to see a new generation of tamariki embrace the culture on a global level.
