Definition of whakapohane in English:
whakapohane
nounPlural whakapohanesˌfɑːkəˈpɔːhənə
NZ (in Maori culture) exposure of the buttocks as a gesture of disapproval or contempt.
he is best known for his habit of performing a whakapohane at anti-Government protests
mass noun the Royal entourage was also treated to whakapohane by fervent republicans
Example sentencesExamples
- His Maori affairs spokesman was more forthright, likening it to a whakapohane or "bare-arsed snub".
- In the New Zealand Maori culture, whakapohane (directing your bare butt at a hated target) is considered the worst possible insult.
- The court heard there was opposition to because of "the whakapohane incident".
- If I was the All Blacks I'd line up for a haka then turn my back on the English Rugby team and drop my strides and give them a good old Maori whakapohane.
- Many a dignitary (including the Queen) has been delivered a whakapohane, a baring of the buttocks.
- He has used the whakapohane against representations of the royal family in more recent times.
- A kapa haka performance included a "whakapohane" - a gesture in which male performers direct their buttocks at the crowd.
- If some group were to perform a haka, then the last thing you would do is respect it -- most likely bend over and bare your butt (whakapohane).
- This behaviour was interpreted as 'lasciviousness', but under the circumstances of extreme hostility it was more likely to have been the whakapohane, an expression of intense derision and contempt.
- Oral sources recall a late 19th century incident in which a gesture known as whakapohane was ritually performed.