Archive for 'Maori Tattoos'
Traditional Maori Tribal Tattoos
October 8, 2008 by , under Maori Tattoos.
Maori Tattoos originated from the Maoris of New Zealand and were considered sophisticated, decorative and rank symbolizing. The women were usually tattooed on the lip and chin area while the men carried them on their face, legs and buttocks. Maori tattoos consist primarily of whorls, geometic patterns, bold spiral designs and other intricate styles. It was said that tattoo designs of the Maoris were very unique to each individual that they were even used by members of the high society as signatures on legal documents.
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Traditional Maori tattoos are called Moko which were inscribed or chiseled on the skin using a serrated bone or shell and the inked used was pigment from the oily smoke of burning nut kernels. This makes moko process very painful since the skin was just not punctured but chiseled at least one-eight of an inch into the skin. During the early days, when a member of the Maori tribe underwent this process, he had to go through an extensive ritual complete with chant and music. He had to go through fasting as he was forbidden to touch food or items used for food preparation during the course of the process. His social contacts was limited and this usually lasted for several days.
Tattoos are regarded as very sacred and significant to the Maoris. During those times, Maoris who were killed in a battle had their tattooed heads (called “paki paki”) preserved and proudly displayed by the warriors while the non tattooed ones were rudely ignored and discarded.
