The practice of tattooing has been around for as long as mankind. Yet for nearly as long as there has been tattooing, there has been condemnation. People have considered decorative tattooing as a vulgar act and a way to mark slaves and criminals. Despite these criticisms and opinions on body modification, to some ancient cultures like the “Maori” it is a way of life. They use tattooing as a rite of passage, to tell the person's position in life, his or her rank and parentage, their marriage status, what line of work they were in, and their 'mana' or power bestowed by the gods.
The Maori people have ancient traditions and art forms that are precious to them, but their most prominent art form is their tattoos. The Maori developed an unusual style of tattooing. They took their wood carving techniques and applied it to tattoos. Both men and women were tattooed, at the earliest signs of puberty, and although there were many similarities regarding the placement and function of tattooing for both sexes, there was
As the Maori culture, in contemporary Western culture, the idea that your physical appearance is the expression of your personality is also common. Ancient tattoos convey much the same messages as tattoos do today. A tattoo could identify the wearer with a certain group while distinguishing him from others.
After my interviews with a couple of tattoo wearers, I have come to understand that tattoos are as important to the Maori as they are to our modern western cultures. People of all ages today get tattoos not only as a fashion statement but also as a symbol of past experiences. It is a marking of an important time or place in ones life. And even though some people still object on tattoos being an art form of self-expression, it is now more accepted than ever before. People are more open to the idea and more in touch with their roots.
Maori men each get an individualized pattern designed for his particular face. The whole tattooing process might take from a few a days, to weeks, or an even longer amount of time. The tattoo arti
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