What is a Maori woman called?

The terms used to describe these women include puhi (high-born, unwed woman), wahine rangatira (women of rank), kahurangi (chieftainess) and ariki tapairu (first-born in a family of note), depending on the woman.

What is a moko girl?

For New Zealand Māori women, the moko kauae, or traditional female chin tattoo, is considered a physical manifestation of their true identity. It is believed every Māori woman wears a moko on the inside, close to their heart; when they are ready, the tattoo artist simply brings it out to the surface.

What is a Kauae?

Moko kauae - are received by women on their lips and chin. A moko kauae represents a woman's whānau and leadership within her community, recognising her whakapapa, status, and abilities. It is a traditional taonga passed down over many generations from the ancestress Niwareka.

What is a mataora?

Mataora is the Mythical figure attributed with venturing into Rarohenga (the Underworld), bringing back with him knowledge of tattooing. Elsdon Best recorded a number of versions of the Mataora Myth in “Maori Religion and Mythology; Part II [1892:227–240], of which the first example is here included in abridged form.

What is Kirituhi?

Kirituhi translates to 'skin art' and was a way of allowing non-Maori to wear traditional Maori patterns without the issue of cultural appropriation. Many artists still use the term Kirituhi when tattooing non-Maori recipients.

Maori Woman With Face Tattoo Is 1st to Anchor Primetime News

What is a Puhoro?

On a background of stippled parallel lines running vertically from the jaw to the cheek-bone there was a simple design of connected koru, much like the designs used in rafter painting. This type of pattern was called puhoro, and was usually used on the thighs.

Can a non Māori get a moko?

Moko is uniquely Māori and it is strictly reserved to be done by Māori, for Māori. If either the recipient or tattooer do not have Māori whakapapa, then the resulting design is a Māori Style tattoo or kirituhi, NOT moko.

Who are mataora and Niwareka?

Mataora and Niwareka

According to legend, Mataora, a rangatira who lived in Te Ao Tūroa (the natural world), married a tūrehu (spirit) named Niwareka, from Rarohenga (the underworld). One day he struck Niwareka across the face in a rage. She fled back to her homeland, as domestic violence was unheard of in Rarohenga.

Who can have a moko?

In less than one generation that thinking has been largely discarded, as part of a deliberate “decolonising” of those perceived barriers – and as a result the practice of moko kauae is widespread, with a general consensus that the only eligibility criterion is whakapapa – if you are a Māori woman, you have the right to ...

Why do Māori have tattoos?

To the Maori, tattooing is linked to mana or a sense of pride and prestige. The head is considered to be the most sacred part of the body, so ta moko was reserved for the face only and for Maori of high social status. Facial moko for Maori women was a chin tattoo or moko kauae.

Who gets a mataora?

Mataora & Kauae are reservedly for those of Maori descent only. To wear the markings of your ancestors proudly, it is necessary to also understand the history of these markings.

What is moko Māori?

1. (noun) grandchild - a term of address used by an older person for a grandchild or a young child.

What does 3 lines tattoo on chin mean?

Many Indigenous tribes around the world have distinctive traditional facial tattoos—the Māori have Tā Moko, the Inuit have Kakiniit—but Gwich'in tattoos often appear as three distinctive lines on the chin, as well as lines on the cheeks or corners of the eye. “The lines represent a rite of passage,” says Potts-Joseph.

What does mana mean in New Zealand?

(noun) prestige, authority, control, power, influence, status, spiritual power, charisma - mana is a supernatural force in a person, place or object. Mana goes hand in hand with tapu, one affecting the other. The more prestigious the event, person or object, the more it is surrounded by tapu and mana.

Can anyone get a Tā moko?

Ta Moko is primarily for those of Maori blood and descent, while Kirituhi is for those of non Maori heritage. Ta Moko and Kirituhi tell a story, the story of the person wearing the tattoo.

What is a whānau in English?

Literally, whānau translates into the English word family. But in Māori society a family is not the nucleus family that western society define. Whānau is the collective of people connected through a common ancestor. Hapū and iwi are also called whānau by a person who is a member of the same hapū or iwi.

Can I get a Māori tattoo?

"You can only have it if you have a genealogy that is Maori. "It reflects who we are and it represents your family, your sub-tribes and tribes." Associate Professor Te Kahautu Maxwell at the University of Waikato - who is also tattooed - says the moko has become an important symbol of post-colonialism.

Why do Māori make faces?

Known as a 'war challenge' or 'war cry' in Māori culture, the haka was traditionally performed by men before going to war. The aggressive facial expressions were meant to scare the opponents, while the cry itself was to lift their own morale and call on God for help to win.

Who can get a Puhoro?

Traditionally, puhoro was reserved for the warriors and leaders who had acquired speed, agility and swiftness. However the Tohunga Suppression Act and colonial attitudes towards traditional Māori tattoos nearly saw the artform die out before experiencing a renaissance in the 1990s.

Where is Rarohenga?

The geography of Rarohenga incorporates several different non-physical, immaterial locations that are recorded in myth. There are also several material locations scattered across both the North and South Islands of New Zealand.

What do Native chin tattoos mean?

The first lines tattooed on the chin marked a girl who had come of age and was now an adult. That was celebrated. Tattoos symbolized moments in a woman's life, reflecting things like marriage and children. More tattoos meant a woman was older and had accomplished more, which was also celebrated.

Is it OK to get a Polynesian tattoo?

No, and yes.

Creating a Polynesian tattoo that tells your own story and being able to say what it represents, shows that you acknowledge and respect the importance of such tattoo and therefore it is not seen as disrespectful. It shows your appreciation and admiration for Polynesian art and culture.

What did a Maori tattoo show?

Those who had the means to get a tattoo but did not were seen as people of lower social status. The Maori facial tattoo was not only seen as a sign of rank though, but was also used as a kind of identification card. For men, their face tattoo showed their accomplishments, status, position, ancestry and marital status.

What does taonga Puoro mean?

Taonga pūoro are the musical instruments of the Māori people of Aotearoa (New Zealand). The name taonga pūoro means singing treasures. This name gives an insight into how highly the instruments are valued, both for the beauty of the sound, the instrument itself and the story of the taonga.