The World of Tribals – Maori Tattoo Patterns
Tribal tattoos on shoulders and backs of present-day people is a way the past penetrates the present. Nearly all ancient folks used tattoos to identify themselves or as a part of some ritual. Nowadays the tradition remains, moreover, we sometimes use the same patterns, but the purpose is different.
Maori is an ancient tribe that lived in Polynesia and New Zealand. They did a lot of tattooing and it was not mere adornment of their bodies, but a sacred art. While in modern tattoo salons everything is still and quiet, a tattoo session meant music, dancing and singing for Maori people. Tattoos were like a calendar on a human body, as Maoris marked the most important events of their life starting from initiation by getting a tattoo.
Wearing tattoos showed also status of people, as well as their belonging to a family, a clan and a tribe. It was very important as there was a great tribal diversity in New Zealand at that time and everybody wished to have its own sign. That’s why there were strict rules how to make tattoos.
So there were two common patterns of Maori tattoos: either pigmented lines or non-pigmented lines on a colored surface. The lines were usually curved and many of them formed spirals and repeated motifs as Maoris believed in the circular nature of the world.
Mostly tattooed body parts were faces, buttocks and legs for men and lips and chin for women. Sometimes neck and back areas were tattooed. Maori tattoos were not only to be done according to general rules but also to repeat the “geography of the body,” so they were truly unique works of art.
There were no needles at that time, so Maori tattoos were done with knives and chisels made usually from albatross bone. Burnt wood or caterpillars were used as ink. Now, when Maori tattoos face revival, even that old equipment was brought back to life.
Maori-inspired tattoo designs form a significant part of tribal tattoos, black-and-white, mysterious and intricate.
The World of Tribals – Maori Tattoo Patterns is a post from: Tattoo designs and ideas by Tattooique
