Moko: Body Art in New Zealand

The tattoos people have today are often chosen because they represent something about the person’s identity. This was also the case thousands of years ago in ancient Polynesia, where tattooing originated.

Read about traditional and modern Maori tattooing, called moko, on page 239.

Moko being applied on a Maori man Moko being applied on a Maori man

 

Video: The new face of tattooing in New Zealand

Al Jazeera video about the moko tradition in New Zealand.