Tamoko The practice of classical M̄aori tattooing is called tamoko . In traditional M̄aori society, men were marked on the face, buttocks and thighs. Facial tattoo patterns were of greater significance to the identity of a person than their natural facial features. Women were tattooed on the face and breasts. The painful process was an initiation and rite of passage that took many years to complete. Tatau represented culture and belief to the Polynesian people. Moko (tattoos) showed M̄aori rank, genealogy and tribal history. Moko designs were a personal statement of M̄aori identity that could never be lost or stolen. Only death could destroy the moko.
SkillBuilder discussion Continuity and change 1. How long has tattooing ( tatau ) been a form of skin decoration?
2. What are some similarities and differences between the traditional Polynesian practice of tatau and modern tattooing practice? 3. Why do you think the practice of tamoko (classical M̄aori tattooing to the face, buttocks, thighs, breasts and hands) was outlawed by British colonisers?
SOURCE5 Captain James Cook’s description of the M̄aori moko
The marks in general are spirals drawn with great nicety and even elegance. One side corresponds with the other. The marks on the body resemble foliage in old chased [engraved] ornaments, convolutions of filigree work, but in these they have such a luxury of forms that of a hundred which at first appeared exactly the same no two were formed alike on close examination.
Did you know? Legend says that tatau began when a young man called Mataora fell in love with a princess of the underworld called Niraweka. One day in a fit of rage Mataora struck Niraweka and she fled back to the underworld. He followed her and when he finally arrived at the realm of the underworld, his face paint was messed and dirty from the voyage. He begged forgiveness for his wrongdoing but was mocked for his unkempt appearance. However, he was forgiven and Niraweka’s father offered to teach Mataora the art of tamoko , which he then brought back to the human world.
Jacaranda Humanities Alive 8 Victorian Curriculum Third Edition
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