![]() Now, modern Māori tattooists and artists take pride in perpetuating and evolving the artistic traditions started by their ancestors so long ago. Many choose to get their own traditional tattoos and facial mokos are making a comeback. Māori are once again proud of their cultural heritage and traditions. ![]() Tribes began tattooing the faces of prisoners or slaves in order to kill them and exchange their heads with traders.ĭue to colonisation, missionary influence and the morbid trade in heads, the cultural tradition of tā moko dwindled and almost disappeared. In New Zealand, the head trading caused bloody inter-tribal conflict, with the Māori trading tattooed heads for valuable muskets. Mokomakai were in high demand in Europe, where they sold as collector's items and curios to the wealthy. This sparked a gruesome and lucrative decades-long trade in heads. Horatio Robley, seated with his collection of severed headsġ895, photograph by Henry Stevens (1843–1925)Īmong the 'souvenirs' brought back to England by Cook was a tattooed, decapitated, preserved Māori head called a mokomakai. Nevertheless, many were fascinated by Māori facial tattoos. 2 people from New Zealand agree the name Michael is of Maori / New. Europeans, and missionaries in particular, disapproved of mokos and discouraged the practice. Hes laid back and I feel like his tattoos and style make him relatable to lots of. The arrival of James Cook to New Zealand in 1769 heralded a new era of European colonisation, which had a devastating impact on the Māori people and traditions such as tā moko. The spiral motifs are distinctively Mori. Perhaps this figure was built to stand guard outside a house or entrance – but without knowing the original context it is impossible to know for sure. In New Zealand, Mori developed techniques to cut deeply into the skin, producing grooved scars. His face is covered in the swirling patterns of tā moko and his expression is staunch. His eyes are made from abalone shells, giving them an iridescent and life-like quality. This figure is a man and probably a warrior of high rank due to his mokos and the weapon he is holding. Typically, carvings such as this early twentieth-century example represent a specific person, often an important ancestor or a character in a legend. Unknown artist Burnby Hall Gardens and Museum
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