The traditional art of Māori tattooing, known as tā moko, was at risk of total extinction after New Zealand’s brutal colonial-era efforts to suppress indigenous culture. But 50 years later, tā moko is far from vanishing - it has undergone an unprecedented renaissance. Our Observer, Mokonui-a-rangi Smith, told us this regeneration has been hard-won, and offers a way to revive Maori culture and "decolonise".
In Māori culture, receiving tā moko (the permanent marking or ‘tattoo’ as traditionally practised by New Zealand’s indigenous people) constitutes an important milestone between childhood and adulthood. Apart from traditionally signalling rank and status, the practice was also used to make a person more attractive to the opposite sex. Men generally received moko on their faces, buttocks (raperape) and thighs (puhoro), while women usually wore moko on their lips (kauwae) and chins.
