Māori moko facial tattoos revived by a new generation with designs on the future

Mokonui-ā-rangi Smith works out of his studio in Auckland, New Zealand, preparing his uhi (chisels) before creating a traditional Māori tattoo. Over his shoulder sits a framed 1970 magazine cover featuring a female elder with moko kauae. Photograph: Cornell Tukiri/The Guardian

Mokonui-ā-rangi Smith crouches on a woven mat, deep in concentration, the sound of tapping filling the room. Rhythmically, Smith hits a sharp bone comb to pierce the skin of the man in front of him, pushing in the pigment. The process is painstaking, meditative.

Over Smith’s shoulders two kuia – female elders – are visible, with lines of ink tracing their faces. They feature on two 1970 magazine covers encased in glass. The headline declares: “Māori Moko Fast Disappearing.”