Often, even heads of poor quality or those with unfinished tattoos were still offered for sale. One of the most noted collectors of tattooed heads was Major General Horatio Robley, who in his lifetime acquired some 35 tattooed heads. Today, 30 out of the 35 heads in his collection can be found in the Natural History Museum of New York. Major General Robley also published a book; entitled Moko which gave extensive details on the process and meaning of Maori tattoo designs.
A less historical explanation of the origin of Maori tattoo can be found in the local legend which suggests that ta moko, the Maori tattoo, came from the underworld, called Uetonga. The legend states that there was a young warrior called Mataora, who fell in love with the princess of the underworld, called Niwareka. Niwareka came above ground to marry Mataora. However, Mataora mistreated Niwareka, which in turn, made her return to the underworld. Mataora, sick with guilt about the way he treated his wife pursued her to the underworld, only to be greeted by her relatives who laughed at his ragged appearance and smudged face paint.
Mataora brought back these skills to his people and that was how the Maori came to have their distinct type of tattoo. Maori tattoo traditionally does not involve the use of needles; rather the Maori used knives and chisels made from shark teeth, sharpened bone or sharp stones. The chisel, also called the uhi, was made from albatross bon although some were said to be made of iron. Knives and chisels were either plain and smooth or serrated, and these were used interchangeably depending on the intended pattern or design in the skin.
The inks that were used by Maori were made from all natural products. Burnt wood was used to create black pigments; while lighter pigments were derived from caterpillars infected with a certain type of fungus, or from burnt kauri gum mixed with animal fat. The pigments were then stored in ornate containers called oko, which became family heirlooms.
Oko were often buried when not in use. The black pigment that was made from burnt wood was reserved solely for facial tattoos; while those made from bugs or burnt gum was used for outlines and other less revered tattoos. Before the beginning the tohunga ta moko would study the persons facial structure to decide on the most appealing design. As mentioned before, no two Maori tattoos are alike. Having a Maori tattoo applied was a very painful experience.
First deep cuts were incised into the skin and then the chisel was dipped into the pigment and tapped into the cuts. Another variation on this process involved dipping the chisel into the jar of pigment and inserting it into the skin by striking the end with a mallet. This manner of tattooing leaves the skin with grooves after healing, instead of the usual smooth surface left after needlepoint tattoos.
Maori tattoo was once a long and labour intensive process, because it was very painful only a few parts of the body were tattooed at a time to allow healing. There are two designs for the Maori tattoos — the normal design only involved the blackening of the lines whilst the second called for blackening the background and leaving the lines clear — this was called puhoro.
Due to the sacred nature of the Maori tattoo, those who were undergoing the process, and those involved in the process, could not eat with their hands or talk to anyone aside from the other people being tattooed. Those who were receiving tattoos made it a point to not cry out in pain, because to do so was a sign of weakness. Being able to withstand the pain was very important in terms of pride for Maori people.
There were other rules and regulations around being tattooed, particularly while undergoing a facial work. Many Maori had to abstain from sexual intimacy while undergoing the rite, and had to avoid all solid foods. In order to meet these requirements, the person was fed from a wooden funnel to prevent foodstuffs from contaminating the swollen skin.
A person would be fed in this manner until the facial wounds had fully healed. Because the face was often bleeding and very swollen, the leaves of the karaka tree were often used as a balm that was applied after the session had finished, to hasten the healing process. The tattooing was often accompanied by music, singing and chanting to help soothe the pain.
The focal point of Maori tattooing was generally the face. Men had full facial tattoos, while women only had their chin, lips and nostrils tattooed. Some Maori also had other parts of the body tattooed, such as their back, buttocks and legs. Women were more often known to tattoo their arms, neck and thighs.
Only people of rank or status were allowed to have, and could afford to have, tattoos. A person who did not have any high-ranking social status, such as a slave, could not have a face tattoo. Those who had the means to get a tattoo but did not were seen as people of lower social status. The Maori facial tattoo was not only seen as a sign of rank though, but was also used as a kind of identification card.
For men, their face tattoo showed their accomplishments, status, position, ancestry and marital status. The male facial moko or tattoo is generally divided into eight sections of the face:.
Noble or note-worthy descent was a primary requirement before a moko was undertaken. And if the person undertaking the moko has no rank, or is not heir to anything of note then the centre of the forehead would be left without design.
By the mid 19 th century, full facial moko for men declined in terms of frequency, but for women they persisted throughout the 20 th century. Since the s, Maori tattooing has experienced resurgence, often being done with the use of modern machines. Since tribal-patterns of tattoo grew in popularity in the late s, early s, more and more non-Maori are copying designs and incorporating in their own art. Women usually wore moko on their lips kauwae and chins.
Other parts of the body known to have moko include women's foreheads, buttocks, thighs, necks and backs and men's backs, stomachs, and calves. Tony got his first tribal moko at about 24yrs old, and has other traditional markings on his hands and body. There has been a resurgence in the practice of ta moko for both men and women in New Zealand since the early s.
Being a practice so deeply rooted in Maori history and culture, Ta Moko must be approached respectfully, whether by Maori or Non-Maori. Anyone who is passionate about connecting with and immersing themselves in Maori culture should be able to wear a Moko.
If someone is worried about cultural appropriation, it is always helpful to seek the advice of a Ta Moko artist so they can explain the significance of wearing traditional Maori patterns.
Ta Moko is seen by some as being a practice reserved for Maori only. After the revival of Maori tattooing there was more interest in the art form by Non-Maori and the term 'Kirituhi' was coined by Ta Moko artists.
Kirituhi translates to 'skin art' and was a way of allowing non-Maori to wear traditional Maori patterns without the issue of cultural appropriation.
Many artists still use the term Kirituhi when tattooing non-Maori recipients. Kirituhi, however has allowed non-Maori tattooers all over the world to imitate traditional Maori tattooing, using the label Kirituhi so as not to cause offence. This way the art form holds its Mana or power and validity.
It is up to the recipient of Ta Moko to uphold the Mana of the patterns they wear. Ta Moko begins with a conversation between the artist and recipient. In this conversation, the meaning of the Moko will be decided, this might include using certain patterns to represent Whakapapa genealogy Family, Ancestors and tribal connections. The artist will then sterilise the skin being tattooed and begin drawing the design on. This is usually done with a number of pens to refine the design before it is tattooed.
Some Moko artists will recite a Karakia prayer to bless the work about to be done.
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