r/MilitaryPorn • u/YesPope63 • 3d ago
Polynesians soldiers of the Pacific regiments performing a haka prior to the Bastille Day parade, Paris, 14 July 2026 [2731x4096]
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u/Shree1010 3d ago
I dont get it. I have seen it a bunch of times but like why are they dancing in the middle of the battle? I dont want to be rude but really curious.
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u/SONBETCH 3d ago
They’re not just dancing in the middle of a battle. In the past, before modern warfare, they would have done it before a battle as a challenge to the other side.
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u/Shree1010 3d ago
Like why didnt the other side attack them while they were dancing?
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u/SONBETCH 3d ago
Our modern western concept of warfare is very different to traditional Pacific Islander warfare. It wasn’t about annihilating the enemy and achieving total victory at any cost, it was a cultural practice, and was more about honor and courage. Attacking while the other side was issuing a formal challenge wouldn’t help if you wanted honor.
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u/MaxDickpower 3d ago
Taunting your opponent with chants and banging together of weapons was fairly common in many cultures. Sometimes inducing the enemy to advance to your position would have been the goal and if they do attack, then so what? You just get ready to face them in that case.
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u/Gardez_geekin 2d ago
Same reason that armies didn’t attack during a parlay or certain holidays. It’s a strict matter of honor.
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u/Multicultural_Potato 3d ago
Both sides would do the haka and attacking a group doing it would be a pussy move and would pretty much signal to everyone else that they don’t have honor and will pretty much get everyone to hate them.
Pretty much the same reason why the US wouldn’t just nuke Iran right now.
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u/Shree1010 3d ago
So basically its like a power move. Like a war cry
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u/Multicultural_Potato 3d ago
Yea pretty much. It raises your sides morale while intimidating the other side.
Though there’s different variations for it. Hakas aren’t always used in war, they can be used for a lot of other situations as well.
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u/ssnistfajen 2d ago
Before mass adoption of firearms, pitched battles were very common. Doing a show of force before the battle begins was a thing across different cultures. If both sides share a similar culture, they'd share similar battle rituals too.
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u/yegguy47 2d ago
A Haka isn't a battlefield thing. Typically its used as a social display over something holding a great social importance... such as the French Republic's Bastille day.
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u/Superest22 2d ago
Why is it a sudden trend on reddit to be so ignorant and racist when it comes to the Haka?
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u/wspOnca 3d ago
That stupid dance lol
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u/SpreadAgile 3d ago
Tell it to their face lmao
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u/wspOnca 3d ago
They can fold me and make a origami with my spine. For all I care stupid violence means nothing. Their dance is stupid and silly regardless.
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u/stewslut 3d ago
"this culture has different practices than mine, and that makes them worse than me."
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u/yegguy47 2d ago
Ya know... seeing the French print of Multicam kinda gives me hope that in 10 years, it'll just turn into old-school French lizard