Polynesia Tattoo Arts - Ta Moko Maori Tribal Tattoos

The Maori are the native inhabitants of New Zealand whose ancestors were migrants from the Eastern Polynesia. The Polynesian arrived at New Zealand between AD800 to 1300 in several waves. Therefore the unique Maori tribal tattoos have been long time existence and are originated from the Polynesian cultures and arts.

Ta moko, refers to tattoo in the Maori language, is a traditional spiral lines carved on the human body by the Maori tribe. The instrument used for carving the skin was usually a serrated or a sharp-edge bone chisel, and the process in creating tattoos was extremely daunting, painful and long. The wearer would have to fast and stay away from eating solid foods until the wounds on the face were fully healed due to excessive pain induced by any movement. To the Maori tribe, tattooing was a sacred event. It was usually done together with the traditional flute music performance and poems chanting in order to help the wearer eased the pain while the skin was cut extensively with curved patterns.

The ancient Maori men usually wore ta moko tattoo arts on their faces, buttocks and thighs. The women would carve their Polynesia tattoo lines on the chins and lips. All these Maori tribal tattoos were visual signs that convey the wearers' tribal identity, social status, family ranking, ancestry and spirituality. This practice has been there for over one thousand years. Only the prominent Maori group wore body arts, and for those who did not wear any ta moko were considered to have no social status. If you decide to wear ta moko, be sure to pick a design that does not carry any special attributes of the Maori tribe.

Modern Polynesia tattoo designs are great expressions of uniqueness, style and fashion, and they have become increasingly popular among body art lovers. Ta moko tattoo arts are symbol of sacrifice, bravery and respect due to their traditionally long and painful process to acquire them. Maori arts are creative and beautiful with their complex curved patterns and spiral shapes. Contemporary ta moko patterns are usually blended with Celtic tattoos to form new distinctive designs. Ta moko lines have become one of the most important sources of tribal arts around the world as Maori arts have their own uniqueness and special characteristics among the Polynesian arts.