The Famous Maori War Dance

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The famous Maori war dance (the haka) and being bilingual may help people keep dementia
away. Researchers from a university in New Zealand say doing the haka and speaking two
languages (Maori and English) might help Maoris avoid dementia. A study compared rates of
dementia among people in their 80s and 90s. Researchers thought these rates would be higher
among Maoris. This is because Maoris have less health care, less income and more heart diseases
than non-Maoris. However, researchers found no differences between Maoris and non-Maoris.

The haka is a traditional war cry. A group of people all chant and repeat the same energetic
movements while stamping their feet. Warriors did it before battles. They wanted to show their
strength and frighten their enemy. A New Zealand football team started using it in 1888. The
famous All Blacks rugby team then started using it before their matches in 1905. It is now part of
the pre-match preparations for the All Blacks. A Maori professor said that skill, eye co-
ordination and the difficult dance routines of the haka help to keep the brain healthy.

1. TRUE / FALSE

1. The article says being bilingual may help Maoris keep dementia away. T / F
2. Researchers looked at people in their 60s and 70s for dementia. T / F
3. Maoris generally have worse access to health care than non-Maoris. T / F
4. Researchers found no differences in dementia in Maoris and non-Maoris. T / F
5. The haka is a traditional war dance. T / F
6. A New Zealand rugby team started the haka in the 19th century. T / F
7. The haka is never performed to welcome important guests. T / F
8. A professor said the haka does not have any complex movements. T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

1. Away a. greet
2. Performing b. stay away from
3. Evade c. scare
4. Generally d. important
5. Income e. doing
6. Traditional f. difficult
7. Frighten g. salary
8. Key h. at a distance
9. Welcome i. customary
10. Complex j. normally

3. ANSWER THE QUESTIONS

1. What did the article say was world famous?

2. What two languages did the article mention?

3. What were the age groups of the people researchers looked at?
4. What did Maoris generally have less access to?

5. How many differences in rates of dementia did researchers find?

6. What do people stamp when they do the haka?

7. Who originally performed the haka?

8. When did a football team first start doing the haka?

9. For whom is the haka performed at ceremonies?

10. What did a professor say was complex about the haka?

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