Ta Moko - Maori tattoo

Ta Moko, or Maori tattoo, is one of the most significant parts of Maori which are the native people of New Zealand. They are known for their long history, exotic culture and exciting traditions. Its practice is truly ancient. There are different shapes, size, and meanings of Maori tattoo which are really fascinating and unique..

Roots of Ta Moko

Maori mythology keeps the origins of Ta Moko. Tattooing began with a love story between the underworld princess Niwareka and a young man named Mataora from the world above. The princess wanted to see the new world where she met Mataora. They fell in love and soon got married. Moko wasn’t a strange thing for the people of underworld, and it didn’t exist in the world from where Mataora was so he painted varied shapes on his face.
One day he abused his wife; Niwareka left him and ran to her father. Mataora felt guilty so he decided to find his princess. After long seeking when he finally found Niwareka, the paint on his face got dirty and messed. The people of underworld laughed at him. Ashamed Mataora asked Niwareka’s father to teach him the art of Ta Moko. The princess forgave him and they returned together to the world above. They brought with them Ta Moko knowledge.

Meanings of Ta Moko

Both Maori men and women were marked with Ta Moko, which was used as a form of identity card of a person, genealogy, tribal history, rank and much more. Female moko generally showed the rank. They were restricted for tattooing some parts of the body. The most common marked areas were chin, lips and above the upper lip; rarely between eyes, back, legs and buttocks. Ta Moko on a male face was rather different. It was divided into eight main parts and each of them contained special information about a person. The right part of the face marked father’s tribal link, position and social rank. The other side of the face contained the information of mother’s ancestry.

Ta Moko Procedure

Tohungas were professional tattoo artists with high status. Marking the body was a sacred process because of the shedding blood from the head as it was especially important part of the body because of its holiness. The instrument that Tohungas used to mark the body was called “Uhi, ” which was usually made from shark’s tooth and bone. Mallet was used to strike the uhi in order to tap varied designs into the skin. The pain of the operation was excruciating, which worsened after the procedure during of which special chants, poems and music were performed. Death was frequent as the risk of infection and blood loss was high. At that time no medical treatments existed to release from the pain. The ritual of Ta Moko was tabooed. It was held in some place far from the common area, far from other people. Tohunga and the person who got the tattoo were not allowed to touch their face and food, the communication with anyone else was restricted outside the sacred area. They had special utensils like a wooden funnel for eating and drinking. The tattooed person was restricted for sexual communication and for washing for several days. And the final part of the Ta Moko procedure was the feast held in a group.

Ta Moko Today

Nowadays Maori tattoos are getting more and more popular Many celebrities have marked their body with beautiful shapes of moko. It is easier to mark the body as the modern tattooing machine is not as painful as it was with chisels. The fame of Ta Moko has spread through the world.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C4%81_moko