Kiwi shocked by store’s Halloween moko mask
Temporary full-facial moko on sale at a Halloween shop in the United States have been called inappropriate and a ‘‘cultural ripoff’’.
California-based Tinsley Transfers is responsible for the image, which is being advertised as an ‘‘authentic Ma¯ ori Facial Temporary Tattoo’’ and on sale at Halloween Hallways in Chicago.
Hamilton man Sam, who lives in Chicago, told RNZ he was shocked to see the tattoos. ‘‘I don’t think I’ve even ever seen it in New Zealand, like, a temporary tattoo with a Ma¯ ori ta¯ moko design on the face,’’ he said.
The tattoo is touted as being ‘‘based on tribal tattooing done by the native New Zealand tribes’’.
But Sam said he did not think customers would understand the cultural significance, and that it was not an appropriate costume.
Tinsley Transfers was founded by Oscar-nominated makeup artist Christien Tinsley, who has worked on 67 movie and television series, including sci-fi hit Westworld.
In 2008, he won an Academy Award for Technical Achievement for the technique he uses to make temporary full-facial tattoos in lieu of makeup. However, Tinsley’s designs off set, including a sugar skull facial tattoo, have not been met with such praise.
Intellectual property lawyer Maui Solomon told RNZ the tattoos were a ‘‘cultural ripoff’’. ‘‘The fact that it’s identified as a Ma¯ori face and is being sold as a Halloween mask, which is designed to scare children in North America, I suggest is culturally offensive and misrepresents the true nature of ta¯ moko.’’
University of Auckland associate professor Deidre Brown said a fullface moko, or a chin moko, becomes problematic when it’s applied to certain products.
‘‘Ta¯ moko is a sacred thing and it’s the mark of a chief or a rangatira and it’s applied to people who have considerable standing in the community … It’s not a commodity to be traded under this kind of circumstance at all.’’