Maori Perform Haka in Solidarity With Dakota Pipeline Protesters

An indigenous school of higher learning in New Zealand held a stirring haka on October 30 to show its solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, which is protesting the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline.

The Maori haka took place on the front lawns of Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi, an indigenous school in Whakatāne, Bay of Plenty.

“Whilst your local indigenous voice is being silenced, it is your global indigenous voice that will be heard,” the school posted on its Facebook page.

The video shows the haka starting with a karakia (traditional prayer) and a mihi (acknowledgement) to envoke and pay respect to the local ancestors and the “relatives in North Dakota” and their struggle for freedom.

“We encourage all other organisations to join in solidarity on behalf of our indigenous brothers and sisters of North Dakota.” Credit: Facebook/Tylee Hudson