The haka is a type of ancient Māori war dance. It was performed on the battlefields for two reasons. Firstly, it was done to scare their opponents; the warriors would use aggressive facial expressions such as bulging eyes and poking of their tongues. The also performed the haka as they believed that they were calling upon the god of war to help them win the battle. Nowadays, the haka is performed for a lot of different reasons. It is mainly a way for communities to come together and a symbol for community and strength. Most recognised, it is used at important events; an example of this is rugby games where it is performed at the start of each match.