We love Wednesdays!

Another fantastic Kapa haka session today with Whaea Mata.  Our Frankley students have been practising their words and actions lots and we have pretty much mastered E Pikinga Poupou.  This is a celebration song which we will be able to perform as a whole school together on many occasions.

Today Whaea Mata talked to us about pukana and its meaning as part of our performance.

Pūkana or facial expressions are an important facet of Māori performance. They help emphasise a point in a song or haka, and demonstrate the performer’s ferocity or passion.

For women, pūkana involves opening the eyes wide and jutting out their chin.

For men, it means widening the eyes and stretching out their tongue or bearing their teeth.

Though these expressions may be intimidating, they are not necessarily a sign of aggression, but may simply show strong and deep-felt emotions.