Maori Tattoo 3.4

Maori tattoo is an important aspect of native society, linked with ancestry and a sense of “Maori” pride. The practice of tattooing by the Maori people is actually Maori Tattoo ancient. The tattoo instrument was a bone uhi (chisel) with an extremely sharp straight edge which caused deep cuts into the skin. Once finished, the skin had grooves. Ta moko was painful and long process, during the procedure flute music and chant poems were performed to help soothe the pain; while marking the body there were some prohibitions, and for the facial tattoo in particular sexual intimacy and the eating of solid foods were forbidden. Liquid food and water was drained into a pipe made of wood to ensure that no dirty thing came into contact with the swollen skin. This was the only way the tattooed person could eat until the wounds healed. The full faced tattoo was very time consuming and a good tattoo craftsman would carefully study a person’s bone structure before the ta moko procedure.

History & Meaning of Maori tattoo

Moko is similar to an identity card, or passport. For men, moko showed their rank and those who went without them were seen as persons of lower social status.

The male facial tattoo is generally divided into eight sections:

1. Uirere (hapu rank) – the eyes and nose area

Maori Ta Moko

2. Taitoto (birth status) – the jaw

3. Ngakaipikirau (rank) – the center forehead area

4. Raurau (signature) – the area under the nose

5. Wairua (mana) – the chin

6. Ngunga (position) – around the brows

7. Taiohou (work) – the cheek area

8. Uma (first or second marriage) – the temples

Ancestry was indicated on each side of the face. The left side was mainly (but not always, depending on the tribe) the father’s side and the right was mother’s one. The women were not as fully tattooed as the men. Their upper lips were outlined, usually in dark blue. The nostrils were also incised. The chin moko was always the most popular in women.

According to Maori mythology, tattooing began with a love affair between a young man by the name of Mataora and a young princess of the underworld and daughter of a tohunga ta moko by the name of Niwareka. She wanted to explore the world above where she met Mataora. Niwareka fell in love with him and soon they married. Ta moko didn’t exist in the world where Mataora lived so he wore designs painted on his body.

One day he mistreated Niwareka and she left him running back to her father. Mataora filled with guilt and began to seek his princess. When he finally found her, the paint on his face was messed and dirty. The people of underworld, who had permanent paints on their bodies, laughed at him. Ashamed Mataoroa asked his father-in-law to teach him the art of ta moko. Niwareka eventually forgave him and finally they returned together to the human world, bringing with them the knowledge of ta moko.

Ta moko, also known as Maori tattoo, is the process of marking the body & face and moko is the product of the marking. Most of the written records describing Maori facial tattoos date back only to the late 18th through the 20th centuries, but archeologists found out that the practice existed long before the arrival of Europeans. The appearance of a fully tattooed face was strikingly unusual for people of Western traditions.

Ta Moko in the 19th

After the establishment of New Zealand as a British colony, male facial tattooing began to decline. It resurged during the wars against the Europeans, when the second Maori King encouraged young warriors to take the moko. Lack of war, religious and social atmosphere which didn’t help continuation of the old ways, should have led to the absolute abandonment of tattooing. This was the case for male moko. Yet, female moko actually increased in importance, even as male moko declined. The male moko was the key in emphasizing the social importance in the tribe; once they put away their weapons, women began to mark “the genealogical or social importance of family” by getting facial tattoos. The moko contained information about a person’s lineage, occupation, tribe, rank and exploits. They were unique to each individual and told about their life and history.


Tohungas, or tattoo artists were specialists and high status persons. The word “tohunga” refers to a “expert and learned man.” The act of shedding blood from the head required the skill and status of an expert tohunga. The facial tattoo involved chiseling a design into the skin. The instrument used to “carve” into the face was called an Uhi, made out of bone, shark’s tooth, or later metal, which was attached to the piece of carved wood. Designs were tapped into the skin by striking the uhi with a mallet. The pain of the operation, which often lasted many hours, was agonizing. The worst pain occurred in the following days of the procedure, during which the entire face was swollen, in some cases the vision was lost for some period of time. The loss of blood and risk of infection was high. Death was a significant danger. In addition, no medical treatments existed to offer relief from the pain of the operation. Due to the extreme pain, risk of infection, and loss of blood, facial tattoos were done over a long period of time. Interesting fact is that tattooing was a strictly tabooed ritual. The operation of the moko would be held in aTa Moko Procedure space that was kept apart from common area. Blood was believed to be very sacred as the head was the most blessed part of the body. The tattooed person, as well as the tohunga, was not allowed to touch their face or any food, nor communicate with anyone who was not in the restricted state. Special instruments were used for eating and drinking. After the procedure was finished, the person who got tattoo abstained from sex and washing for several days until the tattoo began to heal. At the end of the ceremony a collective ritual – feast was held. Today most ta moko is done using a modern tattoo machine, but there has also been a revival of the chisel usage.

Moko Meaning

Ta Moko or the facial tattoo has been practiced for over a thousand years by Maori people. It was used as a form of identification, rank, genealogy, tribal history, eligibility to marry, marks of beauty and much more. Both men and women could be marked with ta moko, which were different in shapes and meanings.

Male Moko

The tattoos on a male face were divided into eight fields, each of them had its own name and contained information about the wearer. The face was divided into equal halves. In general, designs on the right-hand side of the male face marked the father’s tribal membership, rank and position. On the left-hand side of the face contained information about the mother’s rank and position.

These are the eight fields of the male face moko:

Ngakaipikirau

Ngakaipikirau:
This area was above the centre of the eyebrows and composed of two triangular areas on the forehead.

It indicated the direct lines of descent from the Gods and of individual rank.
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Ngunga

Ngunga:
This division identified position or status in life passed through the first or the second line of descent.

The central lines on the chin hold signs of those who taught their knowledge.
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Uirere

Uirere:
Situated on the centre of the face, including eyes and nose.

It identified hapu of each parent, the eldest or the youngest son; inheritance of the tribal mana and hereditary rank.

Uma

Uma:
This division referred to each parents line of descent and specific rank by first or second marriage,

authority within a tribal area and where his region lied (North, East, South or West), and knowledge such as medicine etc.

Raurau

Raurau:
This part includes the identifying signature of a person, their political standing, position personal rank due to war, birth or oratory;

a rise in rank by marriage, the nature of rank and signs of supreme mana.

Taiohou

Taiohou:
Situated on the middle of the cheek and the upper jaw; this part informed about the occupation, e.g.

Master Gardener, Warrior, Village or Fighting Chief, Carver, Healer etc.
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Wairua

Wairua:Famale Face Tattoo (Moko)
The lines of Wairua identified personal mana and if the rank reflected this;

or if the rank and mana descended to the next generation; a village chief; responsibility of a tribal area.


Taitoto:

Succession of rank, rise in rank identified a man who became a tribal Chief before the age of 25.


Female Moko


Maori women also went through the process of obtaining moko, although they were limited to the area of the chin, lips, above the upper lip, and occasionally between the eyes, buttocks genitals, back and legs. Female moko mainly demonstrated rank. Women also used facial tattoo to denote a special status. A woman who was such high status that no mate would be found to equal her lineage would never marry or have children, and was marked by a partial face tattoo like those found on men.

A woman who was set aside for a political marriage had a spiral tattoo on the buttock. Tattoos on the back or legs marked the tribal identity of a woman and were used for those marrying into other tribes. Finally, a tattoo on the genitals marked a woman as able to have children in her first marriage, but any children from later