Tattoo styles common worldwide
In our visits to China, Taiwan, Philippines and Papua New Guinea we come across Tā Moko in varying degrees of similarity. As earlier mentioned one of the Baiyue tribes of China wore fullbodied tattoo, even the women. But this seemed to have faded as these people sailed to other islands.
In Taiwan for instance, an 8-yearold girl gets one blue stripe on the jaw line and when they’re 15 they get another stripe parallel to the first one.
As they perform good deeds on behalf of their tribe, whether it be cooking, hunting, weaving or fishing — these lines are deepened to become a darker blue representing the mana of their work, sometimes extending to cover their whole cheek.
Males, at the age of 10yrs are given a vertical stripe on their forehead. As they add to their own deeds for the tribe, they get added parallel stripes which are also deepened as their mana of the tribe grows. This can grow to cover the whole forehead until its fully covered in black.
The first tattooed face in Maoridom in the Lore of Takitimu
was ‘Mataora’, a rangatira who lived in Te Ao Hurihuri (the ever-changing world). One day he was visited by ngā wahine Tūrehu (the fairy people) from Te Rarohenga (the underworld). This is the dwelling place of Rūaumoko and Whiro.
Rūaumoko was the potiki (youngest son), or the 70th child of Ranginui (the Sky father) &
Papatūānuku (the Earth mother) and Whiro was their fifth-eldest child.
The Tūrehu were of golden skin and they had hair the colour of toitoi (swamp grass). The Tūrehu started dancing and flirting with Mataora and eventually he fell in love and married one of them — Niwareka.
Niwareka was outstandingly beautiful and captured the eyes of all the men and women in Mataora’s kainga (home). One of Mataora’s brothers also had eyes for Niwareka, which enraged Mataora and he beat Niwareka. She was so ashamed that she went back to the underworld and stayed with her father, Uetonga.
After several months, Mataora was so remorseful, he decided to head into Te Rarohenga to find Niwareka and apologise. At that time, the facial adornments of Mataora and everyone else living on earth was paint, mainly red and white.
Mataora was very dark and so red and white stood out perfectly on him. However when he went underground, there was no visibility, so no one could see his facial markings.
When he eventually found Niwareka she was with her father who was cutting into the flesh of one of Niwareka’s brothers using bone and stone implements.
Mataora asked Uetonga, “Why do you go through so much pain, when my markings are easy to put on?”
Uetonga reached over to Mataora’s face and wiped the paint off his face and said, “Our markings and our laws are permanent while your laws are temporary like your face paintings”.
Mataora asked if he could marry
Niwareka. Uetonga said, “No, Your custom is to beat women”. Mataora replied, “I’ll stop”. Uetonga said, “You can change your ways just like the paint on your face” Mataora replied, “I will adopt your law if you cut my face so that the law will be permanent as the cuttings on my face”. Uetonga agreed to tattoo Mataora’s face and allow Niwareka to return to the world of the light to live with Mataora and his people.
As Mataora’s legacy, like the permanent markings on his face, was a permanent rule, that woman beating was not acceptable.
Wahine have a sacred purpose and it’s the women line that carries the mana in Kahungunu history.
Te Honoga Mareikura o Takitimu is the term we use where our matriarchal lines are the most important lines, based on the pact between Uetonga and Mataora and the preeminence of Niwareka (or women) in our society.
In Taiwan the women still perform their sacred rituals and ceremonies.
Here however, many of our traditions have intertwined and transformed into a new way of thinking, depending who you are and what your believe in.