Book: Mau Moko - The World of Maori Tattoo (BK055) -

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Mau Moko
The World of Maori Tattoo
by Ngahuia Te Awekotuku
with Linda Waimarie Nikora
2007, Hardcover, Penguin Group, 259pp

This magnificently illustrated book, Mau Moko, by a group of Maori scholars from the University of Waikato, is the closest there has been to a 'complete' book on moko ( Maori tattoo). 

Mau Moko examines the use of moko by traditional Maori, notes historical material including manuscripts and unpublished aural sources, and links the art to the present day.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.

Mau Moko is superbly enhanced by images from early European encounters, traditional Maori representations, and new colour photography commissioned for the book by Becky Nunes.

In the traditional Maori world the moko, or facial or body tatoo, was part of everyday life.  Everyone had some patterning on their skin.  Men wore elaborate designs on their faces; women 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 is a truly beautiful book, both in its words, its information, and its photos.  Ideal for the tattooist, and anyone wanting a better understanding of Maoridom.

(Traditional designs)

(Modern Maori body tattoo)