Maori Tattooing

Initially revealed in 1896, this basic of ethnography was assembled by a talented illustrator who first encountered Maori tattoo artwork throughout his army service in New Zealand. Maori tattooing (moko) consists of a fancy design of marks, made in ink and incised into the pores and skin, that talk the bearer’s family tree, tribal affiliation, and spirituality. This well-illustrated quantity summarizes all earlier accounts of moko and encompasses lots of Robley’s personal observations. He relates how moko first turned recognized to Europeans and discusses the distinctions between women and men’s moko, patterns and designs, moko in legend and music, and the apply of mokomokai: the preservation of the heads of Maori ancestors. Options 180 black-and-white illustrations.