Tā moko 모코 카우아에(moko kauae)

 

Sketch of a Māori chief, 1773 engraving by T. Chambers based on a 1769 drawing by Sydney Parkinson, from the 1784 edition of A Journal of a Voyage to the South Seas

 

 

Tā moko is the permanent marking or "tattoo" as traditionally practised by Māori, the indigenous people of New Zealand.

 

It is one of the five main Polynesian tattoo styles (the other four are Marquesan, Samoan, Tahitian and Hawaiian).

Tohunga-tā-moko (tattooists) were considered tapu, or inviolable and sacred.

 

Contemporary practice

Since 1990 there has been a resurgence in the practice of tā moko for both men and women, as a sign of cultural identity and a reflection of the general revival of the language and culture. Most tā moko applied today is done using a tattoo machine, but there has also been a revival of the use of uhi (chisels).

 

Women too have become more involved as practitioners, such as Christine Harvey in Christchurch, Henriata Nicholas in Rotorua and Julie Kipa in Whakatane.

 

It is not the first time the contact with settlers has interfered with the tools of the trade: the earliest moko were engraved with bone and were replaced by metal supplied by the first visitors.

 

The most significant change was the adjustment of the themes and conquests the tattoos represented. 

 

Tā moko artist Turumakina Duley, in an interview for Artonview magazine, shares his view on the transformation of the practice: “The difference in tā moko today as compared to the nineteenth century is in the change of lifestyle, in the way we live. […] The tradition of moko was one of initiation, rites of passage – it started around that age – but it also benchmarks achievements in your life and gives you a goal to strive towards and achieve in your life.”  Duley received moko to celebrate his graduation from a bachelor in Māori studies.

 

 

A large proportion of New Zealanders now have tattoos of some sort,  and there is "growing acceptance ... as a means of cultural and individual expression."

 

Hon_Nanaia_Mahuta

New Zealand foreign minister Nanaia Mahuta in 2020

 

In 2016 New Zealand politician Nanaia Mahuta received a moko kauae. When she became foreign minister in 2020, a writer said that her facial tattoo was inappropriate for a diplomat. There was much support for Mahuta, who said "there is an emerging awareness about the revitalisation of Māori culture and that facial moko is a positive aspect of that. We need to move away from moko being linked to gangs, because that is not what moko represent at all."

 

On 25 December 2021, Māori journalist Oriini Kaipara, who has a moko kauae, became the first person with traditional facial markings to host a primetime news programme on national television in New Zealand.

 

In 2022, Ariana Tikao published a book called Mokorua: Ngā kōrero mō tōku moko kauae: My story of moko kauae detailing her tā moko journey; her artist was Christine Harvey.

 

 

Tā moko is a unique expression of cultural heritage and identity through tattoo.

 

 

Tā moko for men and women

 

 

 

By Matt Crawford

Traditionally, men received Mataora on their face - as a symbol of nobility. As māori believe the head is the most sacred part of the body, facial tattoos have special significance. 

Moko kauae - are received by women on their lips and chin. A moko kauae represents a woman’s whānau and leadership within her community, recognising her whakapapa, status, and abilities. It is a traditional taonga passed down over many generations from the ancestress Niwareka.

Tā moko are also applied to other parts of the body, including the forehead, neck, back, stomach and calves.

 

Māori symbols and designs

 

 

By Graeme Murray

Tā moko reflects an individual's whakapapa (ancestry) and personal history. In earlier times, it was an important signifier of social rank, knowledge, skill and eligibility to marry.

Many of the designs are universal. In particular, the spirals that swirl across the nose, cheek and lower jaw. The lines of a moko accentuate the lines of the face to emphasise the expressions.

The main lines in a Māori tattoo are called manawa (heart). These lines represent your life journey.

Common tattoo designs can include the koru, which represents an unfurling silver fern, and symbolically represents a new life or the unfolding of someone's life path. When used in tā moko, the koru normally represents a loved one or family member. 

The history of Tā Moko

 

 

By Destination Rotorua

Before the arrival of European settlers, the complex designs of tā moko were carved into the skin. This method of tattooing is based on the use of broad toothed combs of varying widths called uhi (chisel blades), dipped in dark pigment, and struck into the skin with small mallets known as tā. The pigment used was soot obtained from burning kahikatea, or white pine, sometimes mixed with kauri gum or soot from the oily koromiko (hebe) shrub.

 

Tā moko today

By Te Puia, the New Zealand Māori Arts & Crafts Institute

Tā moko has had significant changes since the art was disrupted through colonisation. 

The modern tool of tā moko is now done with a needle, although some tā moko artists alternate between traditional and modern methods. While the needle is faster and more precise, hand tools bring the ritual more in line with how it was done traditionally.

 

 

ĀTEAMay 24, 2018

Moko kauae is the right of all Māori women. It is not a right for anyone else.

 

 

 

                       뉴질랜드를 대표해 한-태평양도서국 정상회의에 참석한 나나이아 마후타 뉴질랜드 외교장관 /트위터

입력 2023.05.31. 14:48업데이트 2023.05.31. 16:12

나나이아 마후타 뉴질랜드 외교장관이 부산 유엔공원을 찾아 뉴질랜드 6·25 전몰장병들을 추모하고 있다. /주한 뉴질랜드 대사관 페이스북