Maori facial design

For Maori, tattooing was and for some, still is a rite of passage, which meant it was highly revered and ritualised. Moko is a visual language that connects the wearer to their whakapapa. The Maori tattoo artist is called the tohunga ta moko which means moko specialist. A person would be fed in this manner until the facial wounds had fully healed. Maui learnt many techniques very quickly and became an expert at everything he learned, particularly the art of navigation. The marks on the body resemble foliage in old chased ornaments, convolutions of filigree work, but in these they have such a luxury of forms that of a hundred which at first appeared exactly the same no two were formed alike on close examination. In , taking with them a chief by the name of Hongi, the Europeans sailed back to England.

Ta moko , often referred to as Maori tattoo, is the traditional permanent marking of the body and face by Maori. Thank you for sharing. They were really fascinated with the intricate designs and were quite intrigued by it.