As a ritual fight, huka-huka is practiced during Quarup (a ritual in honor of the illustrious dead) and has a competitive symbolism, where the strength and virility of young people is tested. The martial art is inserted in a broad context of competitions held due to Quarup.
At dawn on the day after the Quarup, the moment of symbolic resurrection ends and the weeping and singing cease. The visitors announce their arrival with shouts and huka-huka competitions begin between the champions of each tribe, followed by group wrestling for the young men.
Each village has its best fighters, who are chosen by the community as the main fighters. In the ritual, a male leader, who is considered the owner of the fight, goes to the central part of an arena and chooses the opponents by calling them by name. Huka-Huka is a fight similar to wrestling: without traumatic blows, based on falls, immobilizations and locks.
The fight begins with the athletes on their knees, where the fighters face each other, kneel down and turn in a clockwise circle. They face each other and begin the fight. The goal is to lift the opponent and then take him to the ground.
To win a fight, they must lift theirs opponent and throw him to the ground, and there is no judge. This differs from Judo, for example, because it does not simply involve knocking down or immobilizing your opponent while he is still on the ground. It is also different from other martial arts, such as karate, because it is not enough to simply strike your opponent. You must defeat him in a direct grappling match and then show that you are capable of knocking him down. This is a fight that is divided into two important phases.