Like other peoples, Māori find humour in embarrassing situations, and often it is humour of a frank and impolite kind. In this clip from a 1994 episode of the Māori-language television programme Waka huia, Ngāti Porou kaumatua Cassidy Tangaere describes a tauparapara, or ritual chant of warning, used to open a speech on a marae. In this case, he explains, the warning refers to an unfortunate mishap that can occur to anyone who indulges in the hospitality offered in the dining room.
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