He is quoted in "A Once Outlawed Māori Art Form Is Alive and in the Flesh/Young Māori in New Zealand are embracing tā moko, the ritual tattoos that were banned under British colonial rule and became an act of protest in the 1970s" (NYT gift link).
Without forebears to teach them, Mr. Kopua — a tohunga whakairo, or a master woodcarver — learned tā moko from the patterns he used in carving and weaving. They studied moko kanohi patterns on decapitated heads that were under the care of New Zealand’s national museum. Māori warriors believed that decapitation severed their enemies’ connection to the gods. In the 19th century, British settlers collected the heads as curiosities and trophies and offered guns and gold in exchange — prompting some Māori people to hunt down those who wore mataora and moko kauae.
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52 comments:
Why don’t they bring back decapitation, too? Better art form than tattoo
It's yet another NYT lie. The moko was never banned.
The male facial tattoos reminded me of Ben Kingsley's character in the film Ender's Game.
Literary historians believe Melville based Queequeg's character and tattoos on Tupai Cupa, a real-life Māori chief from New Zealand whom Melville read about in 19th-century travel logs.
Cultural Grab-Bag: While primarily Polynesian, Melville fills Queequeg's background with a diverse mix of traits. He practices Ramadan, carries a pagan idol named Yojo, and uses a harpoon to shave.
The Harpooner Trio. Queequeg is part of a racially diverse trio of harpooners that Melville uses to symbolize the globalized nature of the whaling industry. His counterparts are Tashtego (a Native American Wampanoag man) and Daggoo (a massive African man).
I consider it a hideous marring of one's appearance.
You want to do it? Knock yourself out. But don't expect me to approve or respect it.
They seem to be using a modern electric needle, rather than the traditional chisel. The latter would convey more of a rite-of-passage feeling.
One of the best TV shows ever was Warriors, on the History Channel, with Special Forces NCO Terry Schappert. He would go to different countries and immerse himself in their traditional warrior culture, with the help of historians, martial artists, reenactors, artisans, etc. One of his episodes was in Hawaii, which as I understand is Polynesian just like the Maori. He got a traditional tattoo, proned out on the jungle floor, sweating buckets as a dude hammered it out on him (No, Don Lemon, not that kind of hammering!).
Seems like these Maori are missing out on a key ingredient. CC, JSM
** British settlers collected the heads as curiosities and trophies and offered guns and gold in exchange — prompting some Māori people to hunt down those who wore mataora and moko kauae**
Damn British making these peaceful noble savages do terrible things.
As if the world needed more disgusting tattos.
I think Maggie Haberman of the NYT should get a face tat. Diversity is our strength. All cultures are equal.
Apparently, those Maoris who decapitated people for profit were the first decapitalists.
I might be the one-off here. I've always thought the Maori tattoos were fascinating. Both terrifying and beautiful. Which is, I guess, what they were supposed to be from the outset.
I don't care if they wear them. It's their life.
Tats do serve one useful purpose: They visually identify a person of low intelligence and poor taste.
Tattoo Karen's, Unite!
I'm with Temujin. The tattoos greatly amplify their Tumatauenga faces, during the haka dances. And when they're chiseled in, you get a free scar to go with the ink. I always wondered if this was what Harpo Marx was imitating.
Tattooist grunts, sits up, blows breath out: 'You see that stand over there, sitting on the table? That's for people that won't keep their head still !'
In ancient Greece, tattoos were associated with disgrace and enslavement. This stigma has persisted into modern Greek society. I think the Jews prohibit it altogether.
Anyways, I think tattoos are pretty ugly and gross. I'd make an exception for criminals because tattoos fit their degenerate personalities. But 50% of millennials have them, so it's a thing now and it's not going away.
What message are modern Americans trying to send with tattoos today?
Is that all there is to Māori culture -- bugged-out eyes, lolling tongues, and tattoos? It least it's superior to American ghetto culture.
I never liked the Māori traditional female tattoo on the chin just below the lower lip. You take a pretty face and make it look like it’s vomiting.
Wilbur said "You want to do it? Knock yourself out. But don't expect me to approve or respect it."
Or...hire you.
What would be your impression of a homeowner with severed human heads out as decorations? Even Dahmer hid them in the freezer.
Nothing is more sad than a 50 year old ska8r boi covered with 1990.era tatts , cargo shorts and skate shoes.
“The moko was never banned.”
…what I was thinking. A couple old timers mentioned NZ went through a hard left political period they’ve since rejected, but more and more people were claiming Maori cultural roots, even a few without them.
I'd assume he knew the Podestas.
A tattoo in America can symbolize the freedom and independence of living with your parents.
A tattoo is just a tattoo. Nothing to lose your head over.
“Or...hire you”
I’ll admit ‘tis a bit disconcerting to board Air New Zealand and be greeted with a hearty ‘kia ora’ from a young white woman with lots of face tats…
Surgical and medical Diversity transition therapy.
It's odd to see photos of these Maoris lounging around in their western-design home, in western clothes, sitting on western furniture, with the tattoos and blue lips. Weird looking. But I have to respect them for showing devotion to their ancestors and wanting to keep their culture alive, it's one of the signatures of Maori society, resolve and a kind of fierce stubbornness. I think this is a positive thing, something they want to keep alive for their kids, who will have to make the same choices.
As for hiring one, well, yeah. If it's a customer interface position, you might decline for practical reasons. Or you might give your customers the benefit of the doubt. I would hire a tatted-up Maori before I would hire a MS-13 gangbanger, or some blue-haired gum-snapping airhead with ear plugs matching her face ink. The reasons are completely different, and I guess it goes to the motivation of the tattoos in the first place.
Thankfully it seems to me that the fad is on the wane, a bit, at least in the US. I don't seem to be seeing such a passion for ink any more, maybe I'm wrong.
My grandma and your grandma
Were sittin' by the fire
My grandma told your grandma
"I'm gonna call yo’ ass a liar"
Talkin' 'bout
Hey now (hey now)
Hey now (hey now)
Moko, moko, an day (oh)
Mokomo fee no an dan day
Mokomo ee nan nay
Look at my king
His tats in red
Moko, moko, an day
I betcha five dollars
He'll cut off yo’ head
Mokomo fee nan nay
Rebels with a clause.
No ones looks, no matter how humble, were ever improved by a tattoo. I'm glad I won't be around when all the tatted up millennials fill the nursing homes. Gonna be some ugly shit.
Just finished reading Question 7, author from Tasmania. He mentions living near the world’s largest collection of decapitated heads. Answer to your question: yes you must read this book. Question 7 by Chekhov: June 18 1881. A train must leave Station A by 3 am to arrive at Station B by 11 pm. As the train leaves the station they are told it must arrive by 7 pm. Who loves longer, a woman or a man?
"The male facial tattoos reminded me of Ben Kingsley's character in the film Ender's Game."
If memory serves, that character was supposed to be from NZ, so Kingsley may have been following in his tradition of playing "ethnic" characters ethnically. Moko were not mentioned in the book (the only book of my life that, when I finished the last page, I immediately reopened to the first page) - O.S. Card doesn't tend to do a lot of physical description of his characters.
Modern Māori can copy the historic patterns, though no doubt many patterns are lost forever. But to the extent that tattooing was part of a ritual, that part would have been handed down through oral tradition that died out when the last moko died.
Feral Island... The pain! The pain!
You people are essentially trustee snitches of an open air prison fearful of violating the rules. Don't like tattoos, don't get one. I find tattoos abhorrent for myself, but I don't care what others choose. The Maori reminds me of the formidable Samoans from Gardena and Carson we white boys from the Valley squared off against on the gridiron. They all looked like grown ass men . They certainly had old man strength and guile. I'm sure you cunty cucks wouldn't be so free with your condescending judgmental asides if you were face to face with these powerful and strong men. Pete Hegseth couldn't possibly comment.
New Zealanders and their Maori remind me of WWI era Americans who painted Indian heads on their planes as a symbol of national identity. Maybe, if the nickel doesn't follow the penny into oblivion, we could bring back the Indian and buffalo coin -- buffalo being more newsworthy and more reputable than Thomas Jefferson.
Tattooing inspires many questions, like whether Odyssey translator Elizabeth Wilson's tattoos are permanent or what Harvey Keitel's career would be like if his facial tats in "The Piano" couldn't be washed off.
A nearby town has two pot dispensaries and plenty of fully tatted-up people. That is the unacknowledged chasm in American life: no tats vs. "tasteful" tats vs. garish tats.
I think the moko tattoos are quite well done, for tattoos. They are expressive, detailed, monochromatic, and symbolic. They are also done with graphic skill and clear intent wrt to placement on the body. So while I don’t care for tattoos in general, particularly facial tattoos, I think these are impressive pieces of art. If there is meaning beyond a simple stamp on their body, then kudos to them for keeping their culture alive.
The Brits could learn something from them….
I lived in New Zealand for several years. Contrary to the implications of the NYT article moko tattoos were not rare even 20 years ago, particularly on the North Island. Although there are few full-blooded Maoris the culture is a rich part of NZ heritage. Despite British influence Maoris may prevent a Muslim takeover of the islands. They are less timid than Brits.
Is the women's chin tattoo meant to be a fake beard, to show their equality with men? Kind of like how the very few female Egyptian pharoahs wore a fake braided beard as a symbol of their authority?
Also, the movie Once Were Warriors, starring the guy who plays Boba and Django Fett, seems like a pretty insightful view of Maori culture circa late-90s. I've never set foot in NZ, so I don't know for sure. CC, JSM
Howard is Mr. I’m Okay, You’re F’ed Up. Quite the twat…
"Moko was asleep at the time. We decided we want to wake this thing back up again."
Never let a sleeping Moko lie.
Dave Begley said...
"Tats do serve one useful purpose: They visually identify a person of low intelligence and poor taste."
They help law enforcement identify perps. They also tell a story, as seen with Graham Platner.
I find it amusing to compliment women on their "Tramp Stamp" tattoos. They get all offended when one points out that they literally have a tattoo that says to almost everyone in popular culture "I am a tramp"
If you don't like people thinking that about you you should not have gotten a "tramp stamp" and if you were so stupid, you should keep it covered up.
I'm not really brave enough to get into this with a woman. Wish I were.
"Hi, I see you are a tramp. How much for a quick knee trembler in the alley there?" (I've always loved the Briticism knee trembler. Seldom get a chance to use it.)
John Henry
"...the movie Once Were Warriors, starring the guy who plays Boba and Django Fett..."
That's Cliff Curtis, celebrated for playing everything from Latinos to Arabs to Persians to American Indians to Indo-Indians and including of course Maoris :)
Cliff Curtis was in Once Were Warriors, and he qualifies as a star, but he is not the star of the movie, nor does he play a Fett. That would be Temuera Morrison. CC, JSM
Curtis did play Jesus, in Risen, an odd little gem of a film. CC, JSM
"Moko was asleep at the time. We decided we want to wake this thing back up again."
That's what I told the Ro doctor on the video call. CC, JSM
For John Henry's research efforts: In the South, another treasured name for the Tramp Stamp is the Panama City Butt Moustache.
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