Notes

the world of Māori tattoo /
Ngāhuia Te Awekōtuku ; with Linda Waimarie Nikora, Mohi Rua and Rolinda Karapu ; new photography by Becky Nunes.
World of Māori tattoo
259 pages :

illustrations (some colour), maps.
First published: 2007.Contents: Whaia te moko whakatu = Beginnings of the project -- He ngarahu tapu taku ngarahu = Origins of the art in the ancient world -- Ki te whakanekeneke o te ao = Towards a changing world -- Mana wahine = Women and moko : moving between times -- Pupuritia te uhi = The artists' stories -- Mauria mai te taonga = The wearers' stories -- Taia o moko = Into the future.
Summary: Taia o moko, hei hoa matenga mou. Take your moko, as a friend forever. In the traditional Māori world the moko, or facial or body tattoo, was part of everyday life; everyone had some patterning on their skin. Men wore elaborate designs on their faces; women's were usually less complex but elegant, and both sexes had extensive body work. After almost dying out in the twentieth century, Maori skin art is now experiencing a powerful revival, with many young urban Maori displaying the moko as a spectacular gesture of ethnic pride and identity. This book, compiled by a group of Māori scholars from the University of Waikato, is the closest there has ever been to a complete book on moko. Mau Moko examines the use of moko by traditional Maori, notes historical material including manuscripts and unpublished, aural sources, and links the art to the present day. It explores the cultural and spiritual issues surrounding moko and relates dozens of stories, many of them powerful and heart-warming, from wearers and artists. (Publisher)
In English, with some Māori.