One Tattoo, Two Views

Rotorua. May 2009. Ajr

I photographed this beautiful ta moko (tattoo) when I visited Te Puia in Rotorua last month. Several women in the performing kapa haka group had large and striking tattoos on their backs. I appreciate that these photographs are a little blurry but I’m rather pleased about that because it precludes anyone copying the design. Readers of this blog – particularly those from overseas – should be aware that someone else’s tattoo should never be copied, for each tattoo is designed specifically for the wearer and invariably tells the story of their ancestry. If you copy a ta moko design, you are basically wearing someone else’s family tree, which is highly inappropriate in Maori culture - and should be in any culture!