The Spice Girls and an Italian car company have already done it - now an English football giant has ripped off the haka.
English Premier League club Everton commissioned a team of Maori dancers to perform the "Everton haka" at the official launch of its new away uniform in Liverpool this week. Fans had earlier been invited to write a six-line verse for the haka.
The playing strip created by French clothing company Le Coq Sportif and Everton's retail partner has a "dynamic new All Black look", the club's website says.
It is black with "pink lightning horizontal stripes".
Overseas renditions of the haka have repeatedly sparked controversy. Ngati Toa fought for years to trademark Ka Mate the version made famous by the All Blacks to protect it from inappropriate use.
In 2006, the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand refused its application.
But in February this year, the Government announced a deal with Ngati Toa that recognised the iwi's authorship of Ka Mate.
Spokesman Te Ariki Wi Neera said yesterday that the Everton haka had nothing to do with Ngati Toa because it was not Ka Mate.
"They've made something up ... It's surprising because they have a massive amount of their own tradition and history to draw on."
He added: "The haka is very dramatic and gets attention. You can see why people use it."
Otago University physical education professor Steve Jackson, an expert on haka controversies, said the latest performance was likely to offend many Maori.
It was clearly being used for commercial purposes, promoting Le Coq Sportif clothing and a non-New Zealand team.
"They've probably taken it about as far as you can go.
"There's just this push to find anything extreme these days to get our attention, because we're just bombarded with advertising."
Wait till the Cultural PC brigade see this on the net and in the paper. There'll have to be "financial compensation" of course. It fixes all problems.
Lonegunmen2009-08-10 11:48:05
Proud to have attended the first 175 Consecutive "Home" Wellington Phoenix "A League" Games !!
The Ruf, The Ruf, The Ruf is on Fire!!