Ngati Toa Rangatira association with Ka Mate, and their role as kaitiaki
(1)The haka Ka Mate is regarded by Ngati Toa Rangatira as one of the legacies of Te Rauparaha. Given the role of Te Rauparaha in Ngati Toa Rangatira history, the connection between Ngati Toa Rangatira and the haka Ka Mate is significant, and it forms an integral part of Ngati Toa Rangatira history, culture, and identity.
(2)The haka Ka Mate is a taonga of Ngati Toa Rangatira. While it is the intellectual creation of the Ngati Toa Rangatira chief Te Rauparaha, in creating it he drew upon the body of knowledge and values Ngati Toa Rangatira refer to as "matauranga Maori". In Maori thinking, such a composition does not "belong" to the composer per se, but instead is a taonga of the iwi to which the composer affiliates. It is they who give life and form to the words.
(3)By definition, Ngati Toa Rangatira believe it is a taonga because it has whakapapa and connects them to their ancestors. The existence of the haka Ka Mate brings the tupuna Te Rauparaha to life and tells an important story in the Ngati Toa Rangatira iwi history. Ngati Toa Rangatira believe it has a korero embedded within it. This korero relates not only to the survival of Te Rauparaha but, as part of the iwi's collective identity, the re-establishment and revitalisation of the Ngati Toa Rangatira people due to the vision and later actions of Te Rauparaha. Because of these characteristics, the haka Ka Mate has a mauri (a life force).
(4)Ka Mate also has kaitiaki. Ngati Toa Rangatira are the kaitiaki of Ka Mate and it is their lineage that creates this kaitiaki relationship. The primary obligation of kaitiaki is to protect and safeguard the mauri of the taonga as well as the matauranga that sits beneath it.
(5)As kaitiaki, the Ngati Toa Rangatira relationship with this taonga will be perpetual. As long as it continues to exist, Ngati Toa Rangatira obligations will continue. A large component of this will be protecting the mauri of the haka Ka Mate from mistreatment such as offensive and derogatory use.
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