Haka For Jonah Lomu: A Fierce And Moving Funeral Tribute To A Great Man

[Mike]

Mod note: special thanks to Kiwi Elf for pointing out some errors here. Lomu is in fact not Maori. He was born in New Zealand to Tongan parents, which would make him Polynesian, not Maori. Apologies for that folks.




Bill shared this amazing video (inspired by a video shared by Constance) earlier today in the mod chat. It simply has to be shared here, publicly.

Jonah Lomu was an iconic New Zealand rugby player. The team is called the All Blacks.

Bill described him thusly:
"...the very finest All Black was Jonah Lomu, a giant mountain-man who was also as fast as the wind. There are youtube videos of him still running for the touchline with the ball with half a dozen men hanging onto him, like something out of a cartoon. But how the mighty have fallen...he died aged 40 from kidney disease. Like all New Zealand sportsmen, he was gentle and humble all the way, a kind, soft-spoken man. But on the field he was fierce and unstoppable..."


The last thing Bill said on Lomu was this:
"...a giant, gentle and quiet off the field, fearsome and unstoppable on it, universally loved as a player and a person, an icon of New Zealand, taken before his time. the entire country stopped for his funeral..."

I couldn't say it any better. What I said in the mod chat is that the Haka was a terrific display of male energy...fierce but very emotional as well. I've never seen anything like it. It was an awesome spectacle, loaded with ferocious displays of pageantry and very intense emotions. It is, essentially, a ceremonial dance, usually used in sport, that represents a challenge. It is characterized by vigorous movements and stomping of feet with rhythmically shouted accompaniment. But that description doesn't do it justice. It truly needs to be seen to be believed....

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=XcJVfCEgqPc

[Valerie Villars]

The raw, stunning power. So beautiful.

No wonder "they" are afraid of us.

[Nasu]

Jonah was an exceptional player and true Icon of rugby. This tribute was very fitting. His time was cut too short, but THEY say that the candle that burns the brightest, burns the shortest time.

His presence and leadership will be sorely missed. Thanks for posting this....x... N

[toppy]

It is very powerfull, thanks for the video. Maori are our ancestors. We have to learn from them.

[Sunny-side-up]

I am not a follower of Rugby, I did not know who this man was.

But I'm sitting here typing in a uncontrolled mess of tears.

So strong and distantly connected are their rituals and ways.

What a send off.

[etheric underground]

Thanks for this post... I’m a kiwi and did not know he had passed.
Kia kaha Jonah you were a true warrior

[Bill Ryan]

Posted by Sunny-side-up (here)
I am not a follower of Rugby, I did not know who this man was.

This is who he was. He weighed 260 lbs, was 6' 5", and could run the 100 meters in 10.8 seconds.

Normal pallbearers number six. At his funeral, it took 12 fellow rugby players to carry his coffin.

Sometimes he was just so fast and had such power, he was unstoppable. Watch this and be impressed at what one human can do.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=-FkJ1Wp9iko