Maori Tribal Tattoo Designs

Maori Tribal Tattoo Design Picture 1

Tattoo Center. Maori Tribal Tattoo Designs. Maori Tattoo is heavy on symbolism and also more prolific in design. Other tattoos from other tribes use a lot of boxed symbols but the Maori tribal tattoo use more shapes and are more intricate in layout. Maori tribal tattoo is actually called Ta Moko. It is how the indigenous people of New Zealand called their tradition. Their tradition is pretty distinct because not everyone in their society receives a tattoo. In fact, being a high raking person in their society doesn’t automatically earn you a tattoo. The achievements of a person are still assessed before a tattoo is given.

Maori Tribal Tattoo Design Picture 2

The tradition is actually not native to the Maori tribe. It was brought in by Eastern Polynesian. The first tattoo is usually given to people reaching their adulthood. Adulthood, however, is not based on age. If a person is deemed immature, they will not be given a tattoo. Those with tattoos are considered more attractive to the opposite sex. They are also recognized as more powerful and respected in the society.

Maori Tribal Tattoo Design Picture 3

The Maori Tribal Tattoo is unique in that instead of simply putting ink on the skin of a person, they actually carve the skin. They chisel it. This makes the skin surface uneven, like there are humps. This, naturally, is a more painful process. The tohunga-ta-moko use a chisel made of an albatross bone. They tie this to a wooden handle. The ink is made of awheto and charcoal of timbers. They mix this with kauri gum. The materials are kept in an oko. This same oko is passed down from generations of tohunga-ta-moko. The method has, of course changed, as modern items are forged. Needles started being used and are thrown away after use. They have come to understand the health risks involved in using recycled materials.

Maori Tribal Tattoo Design Picture 4

The most common body parts where the tattoo is placed are: face, butt, thighs, neck, back, stomach, and calves. Even women are given tattoos but it is usually placed on their face, lips and chins to be exact. The tattooists are chosen carefully. They are respected in the society. They are the ones who come up with the design. Each design is unique to the person getting the tattoo. They are also given special training. They are trained both in the cultural aspect of tattooing and the technical side of tattooing.

Maori Tribal Tattoos

Shoulder Maori Tattoo

Tattoo Center. Maori Tribal Tattoos. The Maori tribes are natives of New Zealand. Though, they are part of the Polynesian heritage, they have given themselves a distinct cultural heritage that historians have separated them from the different tribes of Polynesia. It is very much the same for their tattoo designs. The Maori tribal tattoos have their own unique identity compared to their Polynesian counterparts. Their spirals and curved shapes form a very intricate pattern that very distinctive to the Maori tribes. Legend said that a young warrior learned the art of the Maori tribal tattoos from the lord of the underworld, after winning back the heart of the lord's daughter.

Maori Tribal Tattoo Design

For the Maori tribe, the tattoos are part of special rituals celebrating a particular or special event in one tribesman's life. A tribesman would receive his or her first tattoo as a rite of passage from childhood to adolescent and would be added whenever there are significant events in his or her life that would need to be celebrated.

Maori Sleeve Tribal Tattoo

A tribesman that would be awarded with a tattoo would go into fasting before he or she was given a tattoo. Both men and women of the tribe can be awarded with a tattoo as a show of courage, strength and would be given a specific status in the tribe. The tattoos for men in particular would cover the whole face while the women would only cover the cheeks and the lips, though sometimes the tattoos for women would cover the neck as well.