Still standing strong
Acclaimed tattoo artist Gordon Toi lost a leg but his pride remains intact, writes Lee Umbers.
The ta moko adorning Gordon Toi’s powerful body mark chapters in the life of the internationally renowned tattooist, award-winning actor and master carver.
But a fantail that celebrated his skill in Maori martial arts has ‘‘flown’’.
The depiction of the quick-moving little bird noted for its use of the taiaha in Maori myth was etched into Toi’s left calf – lost when the limb was amputated below the knee following a motorcycle accident.
‘‘It represented my training with taiaha, to be swift and fast,’’ he says.
Bandages bind the remnant of the leg, which once moved him with grace and power. He was awarded Top Warrior status by revered mau rakau (traditional Maori weaponry) exponent Mita Mohi.
Part of Toi’s limb may be missing but his spirit remains intact.
Three weeks after his operation, Toi rose from his hospital bed to attend Mohi’s tangi and pay his respects to the ‘‘huge inspiration in my life’’ and his family.
And as he waits to be fitted with a prosthetic limb – to which he may return the image of his fantail – and considers a possible tilt at a Paralympics event, Toi is back working at the craft with which he has made his mark on the lives of thousands.
The ta moko maestro returned to tattooing two days after being released from hospital.
Support has come from clients around the world, including Grammy Award-winning singersongwriter Ben Harper.
The American superstar – whose back, arms and chest Toi, 52, has tattooed – paid tribute to his mate from Mangere Bridge during a concert at Auckland’s Vector Arena in December.
Toi’s wife Yvanca was at Harper’s show to hear the tribute – a complete surprise as none of the family had told Harper about the accident.
Harper learnt of his condition through band members at the show asking a neighbour about him. ‘‘Next thing, I get a message from Ben saying, ‘Hey, man, what’s going on? So I flick him my number, he gives me a call – (and) we’re talking about what happened.
‘‘He said what he always says, just to keep positive and keep doing what you’ve always done.’’
The ta moko artist and the musician first met in 2000 after Harper noticed Toi’s work on a cousin who was interviewing him on TV.
‘‘My cousin rings me and goes, ‘Bro, I’ve got Ben Harper here. He wants to come out and see if you can do some moko on him’.
‘‘He came out and we just talked like we’d known one another all our lives. He sung us a couple of songs and we’ve been mates ever since. We did his back the next day.’’
Toi says Harper’s back piece, done in one session of about 14 hours, was ‘‘the biggest back piece that I’d ever done’’.
‘‘And it was a transitional
I think all of the things that I’ve done in my life made it easier for me to accept what’s happened.
moment for me as an artist as well, because I’d been wanting to do big body-work.’’
Harper handled the extended tattooing session really well, and the pair have done several since.
‘‘I’ve done his arms, chest, and his hips, and we’re ready to go down onto his legs.’’
Toi has also been empowered in his recovery by league legend Tawera Nikau, who also lost a leg after a motorcycle accident.
‘‘Tawera was amazing. You’re on an emotional rollercoaster going through all this sort of stuff. And the day before we were going to cut the leg off, he turned up just out of the blue.
‘‘He bowls in and he’s like ‘Good on you, bro’. I’m lying there with all this sort of stuff going on in my head. And just having him come in and just being himself, showing all the whanau his prosthetic leg – taking it off and then passing the leg around the room and stuff like that.
‘‘Psychologically he really did empower me to, not make the decision to have the limb amputated, but to let me know that that was the right decision to make. And that’s just when I needed it.’’
Nikau, 50, who completed the 2010 New York Marathon seven years after losing his leg, even offered to train with him so they could both compete in the event.
Toi’s Labour Weekend accident came after he made a last-minute decision to take his 1595cc HarleyDavidson Night Train for a final outing after selling it.
He was riding into Huntly from Raglan with another couple of riders, when he was involved in a collision with a van. Police are investigation the smash.
His left forearm was broken in five places and bone in his left leg shattered. He was taken to Waikato Hospital by ambulance, conscious throughout the ordeal. And after first seeing how damaged his leg was, Toi says he ‘‘just laid back in my mate’s arms and just took a few big deep breaths and let out a few roars when it was required’’. Toi says he initially
hoped his leg could be saved – ‘‘I could still wiggle my toes’’ – but infection set in.
‘‘It was moving so quick that every second day I was going down into theatre and they were cutting infected flesh out.’’
Faced with the prospect of multiple operations and possibly years of rehabilitation without any guarantee of success, he agreed to amputation to hasten his recovery.
The surgery was performed just over a week after his admission, and he was later transferred to Middlemore Hospital – close to his home and tattoo studio in Mangere, the House of Natives.
Toi, whose whakapapa is Ngapuhi, has been at the forefront of a ta moko revival since starting a studio in 1994.
‘‘Kohanga reo in the mid-80s had started to gain momentum, and so by the mid-90s these kids were coming out of kohanga really externally expressing their Maoritanga, and likewise with the parents. So when a whole culture is buzzing at acknowledging who they are, I think moko and art is an expression of that. It’s another way that you can show who you are; identify who you are, where you come from.’’
Toi, who also has a studio in Amsterdam and has exhibited in the US, Canada, and Europe, has tattooed thousands of clients from around the world. They include rugby and league stars, top actors and chart-busting singers.
He tattooed Kiwi director Taika Waititi when they acted together in the 2001 movie Snakeskin.
‘‘We all were snowed-in in Arthur’s Pass. I had my gear with me, so I tattooed at least half the crew.’’
Toi also acted in The Piano ,wasa set designer on Whale Rider, and helped carve the waka that featured prominently in the film. He won a best actor award at the 1993 NZ Film and TV Awards.
He started training as a traditional carver after leaving school, and graduated from the Maori Arts and Crafts Institute at Rotorua in 1983 with the Sir Henry Kalliher Student of Honour Award. He has designed and carved meeting houses including Tane-nui-a-rangi at Auckland University.
Toi is philosophical about the accident.
‘‘I think all of the things that I’ve done in my life made it easier for me to accept what’s happened.
‘‘These things happen because they happen, and I was the Johnnyon-the-spot on the day. The good thing about 2016 is that I’ve managed to make it to 2017.’’
The right-hander was grateful it was not that side of his body that was damaged and pleased he can still provide for his family.
Toi, hoping to be fitted with his prosthetic limb later this month, wants to thank the ‘‘awesome’’ medical staff at Waikato and Middlemore Hospitals. ‘‘They really make sure they look after you, and help you through the whole process.’’
He also wants to acknowledge the ‘‘massive’’ support from his family – including Yvanca, his daughter Wairingiringi and cousin Donna Heller, a registered nurse, who were at his hospital bedside to help him through ‘‘some of the darker times’’ – and friends including House of Natives colleague Hirini Katene and the staff and clients who rallied around him. Toi says his accident has reinforced the importance of whanau and finding ‘‘peace and harmony and happiness’’ with others.
‘‘We need to enjoy one another’s time while we’ve got it . . shit can change real quick.’’
Gordon Toi