Te Runga Rawa

Kapa haka is the collective term for Māori action songs and the groups who perform them. The word combines kapa (group) and haka (dance), and today refers to a full suite of Māori performing arts presented as a coordinated bracket of chant, song, and dance. A typical kapa haka performance blends traditional chant (mōteatea), posture dance (haka), poi (rhythmic dance with balls on cords), and waiata-ā-ringa (action songs) with rich group harmonies, synchronized movement, body percussion, and expressive facial gestures such as pūkana (dilated-eye gaze) and whētero (tongue protrusion). Performed primarily in te reo Māori, kapa haka is a vital way Māori communities express whakapapa (genealogy), identity, history, and contemporary issues through song and dance.

Native American music encompasses the diverse vocal and instrumental traditions of the Indigenous peoples of North America. It is primarily voice-centered, with communal singing supported by large powwow drums, hand/frame drums, water drums, rattles, and the Native American flute. Melodies often use pentatonic or anhemitonic scales and feature terraced (descending) contour, vocables (non-lexical syllables) alongside texts in Indigenous languages, and cyclic repetition in sets of 4 (reflecting cultural symbolism). Music serves ceremonial, social, healing, and storytelling functions, and is inseparable from dance and regalia. While distinct regional styles exist (Plains powwow, Southwestern Pueblo/Navajo, Great Basin, Northwest Coast polyphony, Inuit throat singing, Southeastern stomp dance traditions), all emphasize community participation, spiritual intention, and strong rhythmic grounding. Contemporary scenes range from traditional powwow and peyote songs to modern fusions that respect traditional aesthetics while engaging new forms.