Maori+Moko+Tattoos

=**Maori Moko Tattoos**=



Description: The Maori Moko, scanned from //John Rutherford: The White Chief// (pre-1923) Source: Wikipedia Date: 2004-10-09 (original upload date)

"I wear my pride upon my skin my pride has always been within I wear my strength upon my face comes from another time and place Bet you didn't know that every line has a message for me? Did you know that?" (Awekotuku & Nikora, 149)

Tattoos are believed to have originated from the Eastern Polynesian culture of the Maori people with certain sacred and cultural aspects, having migrated over to New Zealand sometime before 1,300 CE. Moko, as the Maori referred to them, had cultural and historical meaning, often including designs that depicted stories. High ranking or social status were the primary reasons for receiving a tattoo, thus, civilians without such body art were often regarded as persons of the lower class. The Maori people did not practice permanently marking themselves until a child reached his or her adolescence. The reasoning for this is that the process of carving the skin with a chisel at that time, rather than puncturing in today's society, was most likely far too painful for children to endure. Secondly, the tattoo represents a significant milestone from childhood to adulthood, and were used to look fierce during battles. Deep with cultural context, they had great social context as well. Moko tattoos were considered highly attractive to the opposite sex. The face, buttocks and thighs were the most common parts of the body for males. The face, however, was the most important aspect and incredibly limited by tradition, because the Maori people considered the head to be the most sacred part of the body. The rest of the body was free reign. Women, on the contrary, did not have full facial tattoos. A woman's facial tattoo consisted of the lips being outlined and blacked with a decorative pattern on her chin. Although highly uncommon, it is recorded that some women have been seen with a symbol on thier cheek or forehead.
 * Introduction**

The process of creating the artwork was agonizing and time-consuming. As mentioned above, Maori tribal tattoos on men were usually located on their faces, buttocks and thighs. The tattoos on women were primarily on their chins and lips. The best known Maori tribal tattoos were large in size. The tattoo artist, or "tohunga-ta-oko," would use a chisel, either serrated or with a very sharp edge to engrave deep cuts into the skin. Once these cuts were made, the chisel would be dipped into a blue or black pigment-- some of which were made from burnt kauri gum or burnt vegetable caterpillars. The Maori people used natural pain killers such as harmonious music to help ease the pain. However, it gave people a great sense of pride to sit still and quietly during these rituals. The designs and patterns that were tattooed on the face of men were a way to portray their particular tribe's status, lineage, and individual status overall. Moko also represented memorable events in their lives and their efforts during battles and wars. The ones that were cut into the women was a way to not only demonstrate that they were mature, but also a way to beautify themselves.
 * Descriptive Analysis**



Carved wooden Maori head displaying distinctive //moko// (facial tattoos) (Auckland, Auckland Institute and Museum); photo credit: Werner Forman/Art Resource, NY

Moko tattoos were highly symbolic, not only in the sense of the symbols themselves, but where they were specifically located on the face. While the same symbols were passed down from previous generations were deemed as types of genealogies and autobiographies, every individual's moko were distinct and different. It is believed that the moko artists used carvings as illustrations from traditional //maraes//, which were communal ceremonial centers where meetings and other events took place in accordance with traditional protocols. "Theoretically, if you had knowledge of all the carvings, you should be able to look at someone's moko and know what marae they are from, who their family was, and what they did." Pederen(1999) Graphis; Moko: Maori Tattoo. 324.pg 54.
 * Formal and Contextual Analysis**

A war leader who took a significant role in what was known as the Musket Wars, Chief Te Pehi Kupe's full facial moko currently has scholars debating what meanings the symbols hold. Te Pehi Kupe's moko is quite possibly the most recognized and completed historial reference to Maori tattooing. Four "tiwhana," or tattoos above the eye, invoked the power of a bent bow and the god of the rainbow. The curved lines running from the nose to mouth were referrred to as "rerepehi," and represented the strengh of a waterfall. In the book, __Pacific Designs in Print & Skin Tattooing the World__, author Juniper Ellis discusses the mysteries of rather the sprials on Te Pehi Kupe's cheeks designate birth order, if authority is inherited or accomplished, and what ranks the leader's parents were. Having no cheek spirals may have possibly meant that a male was a younger, or youngest son. Chiefs used their tattoos as a signature for important documents and were able to duplicate them without seeing their reflection. Overall, giving and receiving Maori tattoos were a long and arduous process, which the tattoos themselves having signified respect, courage, sacrifice, as well as status in respective tribes.

The moko tattoos, while holding a significant social, cultural, and historical context, appear to be an admirable form of art. One cannot help but to appreciate the preciseness of the linework that was to be delicately carved into the face, as well as the intricate and various patterns and designs every high ranking Maori persons possessed. The tattoo artists of that time must have held much merit with their work, since the process was known to take an extensive amount of time. The people who received the moko must be praised also for their high threshold for pain and endurance.
 * Personal Interpretation**

Australia Museum Online-[], March 2009. //Place with information on body art and pictures.//
 * References**

Auckland Museum-[|www.aucklandmuseum.com], March 2009. //Great collection of pacific art and people.//

//Oxford Art Online- [|http://www.oxfordartonline.com.ezproxy.emich.edu]March 2009// //Overview of Moari people before and after 1900s.//

//New Zealand in History- [], March// //The history of New Zealand : a brief overview of the pre-historic, colonial and modern periods.//

//Wikipedia-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C4%81_moko, March 2009// //Ta Moko//

// Skin Stories: The Art and Culture of Polynesian Tattoo -http://www.pbs.org/skinstories/history/newzealand.html, April 2009// //The role of Moko tattooes in New Zealand//

Camphausen, Rufus C. __Return of the Tribal; A Celebration of Body Adornment__. Rochester: Park Street Press, 1997. //A timeline stating the history of body modification from the past to the present all over the world//

Ellis, juniper. __Pacific Designs in print & skin; Tattooing the World__. New York: Columbia University Press, 2008. 52-59. //A book on the culture and literature of tattoos of Pacific Islanders.//

Gilbert, Steve. __Tattoo; History__. New York: Juno Books, 2000. 67-75. //A book on the history of tattoos around the world//

Pedersen, Martin C. "Moko: Maori Tattoo." __Graphis__.234. //A journal depicting Martin Pedersens journey to New Zealand to photograph traditional maori tattoos//

Te Awekotuku, Ngahuia, and Linda Waimarie Nikora. __Mau Moko; The World of Maori Tattoo__. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i, 2007. 148 "This magnificently illustarted book by a group of Maori scholars from the University of Waikato is the closest there has been to a 'complete' book on moko."


 * Lesson Title:** "Meaningful Identification"


 * Grade level:** Middle School


 * Time for unit:** 12 class periods (60 minutes per period)

This lesson meets the following National Standards for Art Education (Visual Arts): NA-VA.5-8 1. Understanding and applying media, techniques, and processes (b) NA-VA.5-8 2. Using knowledge of structures and functions (a,b,c) NA-VA.5-8 3. Choosing and evaluating a range of subject matter, symbols, and ideas (a,b) NA-VA.5-8 4. Understanding the visual arts in relation to history and cultures (a) NA-VA.5-8 5. Reflecting upon and assessing the characteristics and merits of their work and the work of others (a,b)
 * Standards:**

This lesson meets the following [|National Educational Technology Standards for Students]: 1. Creativity and Innovation (a,b) 2. Communication and Collaboration (a,b) 3. Research and Information Fluency (b,c,d) 4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making (b,c,d) 5. Digital Citizenship (a,b,) 6. Technology Operations and Concepts (a,b)


 * Central Concepts:**
 * ** Maori Tribe: ** The Maori are an indigenous people of New Zealand and it is believed that they migrated from Polynesia between the 9th and 13th century AD. They make up approximately 14% of New Zealand's population and speak a distinct language that is related to Tahitian and Hawaiian. The Maori people have many traditions but the most striking one is considered to be the tattooing of the face. This was mainly a male tradition, however, women were also defined by moko (tattoo) in restricted areas such as the lips, chin, and upper nostril area.


 * ** Scarification: ** Cutting, etching, and/or branding of the skin for various purposes. In the case of the Maori Culture, moko rituals were, and still are generally performed to indicate the transitioning of a person from childhood/adolescence into adulthood**.** Although it is unknown whether or not the tribe still uses the same technique and also for the same purposes before the 1870s, moko were also primarily used to indicate a person's status and rank. Other significant reasons for scarification were to appear fierce in battle, as well as to beautify women and appear attractive to the opposite sex.


 * ** Ritual: ** ‍Rituals are established or prescribed procedures for a religious or other rite. They are performed in symbolic ways and may be part of an ongoing tradition of a society, community, or small group. The Maori used tattoos to physically symbolize maturity and status and was required of everyone in the culture. Due to the fact that these procedures were to be done so frequently and on all the indigenous people, the moko can be described as a ritual of the Maori ‍.

** Lesson Activities: ** The culture of the Maori people and images of their tattoos will be introduced in the first 10-15 minutes of class time. Main points of introduction:
 * Activity 1: Introduction to the indigenous Maori, 2 class periods. **
 * 1) History of the Maori culture
 * 2) Tradition of moko
 * 3) Reasons for moko
 * 4) Process of scarification/tattooing
 * 5) Discussion of designs and patterns of moko






 * Students are to research one purpose for body art (other than the ones presented about the Maori tribe) from any country and/or society and type out the findings in their own words on a class Google document that is set up by the teacher.
 * It should be 150-200 words, include 2-3 sample images and references, and no research should be alike. The only exception would be if there are not enough different purposes to fulfill every student; in which case, two students may choose the same purpose but still would need to do individual work for everything else.
 * The Google document will serve as a constantly updated list of which student has what specific purpose for body art (first come, first serve).

** Activity 2: Unified Tattoo Meanings, 4 class periods. **
 * ‍The teacher will list all of the major body parts and areas (or however many students there are), and write them on separate pieces of paper to create a random raffle.
 * Whatever body part a student chooses, he or she will design one colored ** or ** black tribal-like tattoo according to their research done from Activity 1.
 * Two to four 5"x6" preliminary sketches will be required and appropriation will be allowed for only half of the design so that students will become familiar with their researched body art designs. The other half should be created from the student's imagination to demonstrate their understanding and familiarity of their researched body art designs.
 * The tattoo must be big enough to fill most of a geometric 5"x6" space (this is merely to ensure that all student works are approximately the same size). The final design will have to be in Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop format.
 * Students will have the option of utilizing Illustrator or hand-drawing the tattoos, so two demonstrations will be shown with Illustrator basics and scanning and converting physical copies of designs into an Adobe Photoshop (.psd) file.
 * Afterward all work have been successfully formatted onto Illustrator or Photoshop, all students will need their designs approved by the teacher for quality and craftsmanship. Students will then transfer their designs onto a large (poster-sized) blank body template provided by the teacher on Photoshop to form an entire human body full of tattoo designs of different purposes from around the world. ‍



** Activity 3: Personalized Designs, 4 class periods. ** ** Activity 4: Wearable Markings, 2 class periods. **
 *  ‍After learning about different cultural and social purposes for body art, students will design **__ two __** colored ** or ** black original tattoos that hold personal meaning. Inclusion of color for BOTH tattoos will result in 3 extra credit points.
 * Students will have the option of completing Activity 3 on a computer program or by pencil and paper, as well as choosing any body part they wish. However, all students will need to have 3-5 preliminary sketches before making final designs.
 * Each tattoo must be separate in design, contain 3-5 personal symbols within the tattoos, and be around 4"x5" in dimension.
 * Each individual symbol (or step) of each entire design will need to be documented with a digital camera (for sketches and students who will hand-draw), as they will upload the images onto a computer to create a book on PowerPoint to explain the designs and meanings of their tattoos.
 * Afterwards, students will save each slide as a JPEG file to upload and share on a class website such as Wordpress or Blogger. A demonstration of how to upload the images onto the website will be shown briefly. (The class website will provide documentation of all student project images (one project per unit) for other students, parents, and for the teacher to use as reference/share lesson ideas with other teachers on the web).
 * ‍The last activity of the unit will require the students to orally present their projects from Activity 2 (research and design) and 3 (personalized designs) by three options of student preferences:
 * 1) With **printed images** from Illustrator (.ai) or Photoshop (.psd),
 * 2) With **photo documentation** of students physically "wearing" **two of three** designs from Activity 2 and 3 on their own body //or// on another person (if students choose to take photographs of wearing them, a strong recommendation will be made to first ask their parents for permission since it will be done at home, as well as using materials that are not harmful or damaging to the skin),
 * 3) **Come to class wearing** **two of three designs** from Activity 2 and 3 on the day of the presentation (contact and approval with the principal and students’ parents will be made in advance so as not to alarm anyone or cause concern for the day of the presentation. Photo documentation will not be necessary for this option).


 * Each student will take 8-10 minutes to present their designs and give a short reflection of what new information they acquired from this unit.
 * Students will be asked to turn in a typed 100-word minimum reflection from Microsoft Word, along with other documentations at the end of the unit.


 * ‍Assessment (Holistic): ‍**

 1. ** Maori Tribe: ** The Maori are an indigenous people of New Zealand and it is believed that they migrated from Polynesia between the 9th and 13th century AD. They make up approximately 14% of New Zealand's population and speak a distinct language that is related to Tahitian and Hawaiian. The Maori people have many traditions but the most striking one is considered to be the tattooing of the face. This was mainly a male tradition, however, women were also defined by moko (tattoo)in restricted areas such as the lips, chin, and upper nostril area. Maori Culture - http://www.newzealand.com/travel/media/features/maori-culture/maori_ta-moko-significance_feature.cfm Significance of Maori tattoos
 * Sources**:

"Scarification," "Ritual" - http://www.dictionary.com Central concept terms

@htttp://www.google.com Maps, tattoos and body template images

Microsoft Excel Assessment Rubric  2. ** Scarification: ** Cutting, etching, and/or branding of the skin for various purposes. In the case of the Maori Culture, moko rituals were, and still are generally performed to indicate the transitioning of a person from childhood/adolescence into adulthood**.** [E1]  3. ** Ritual: ** Rituals are established or prescribed procedures for a religious or other rite. They are performed in symbolic ways and may be part of an ongoing tradition of a society, community, or small group. The Maori used tattoos to physically symbolize maturity and status and was required of everyone in the culture. Due to the fact that these procedures were to be done so frequently and on all the indigenous people, the moko can be described as a ritual of the Maori. ** Lesson Activities: **  • ** Activity 1: Introduction to the indigenous Maori, 2 class periods. ** Main Points: · Migration of Maori people from Polynesia · Tradition of moko · Reasons for moko <span style="display: block; height: 1px; left: -40px; margin-left: 47pt; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; position: absolute; text-indent: -0.25in; top: -25px; width: 1px;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">· Process of scarification/tatto <span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">· Discussion of designs and patterns of moko <span style="display: block; height: 1px; left: -40px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; position: absolute; text-align: justify; top: -25px; width: 1px;"> <span style="display: block; height: 1px; left: -40px; margin-left: 11pt; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; position: absolute; top: -25px; width: 1px;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN; mso-no-proof: yes; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"> <span style="display: block; height: 1px; left: -40px; margin-left: 11pt; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; position: absolute; top: -25px; width: 1px;"> <span style="display: block; height: 1px; left: -40px; margin-left: 11pt; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; position: absolute; top: -25px; width: 1px;"> [E2]  Students are to research one purpose for body art (other than the ones presented about the Maori tribe) from any country and/or society and type out the findings in their own words on a class  [E3]  that is set up by the teacher. It should be a maximum of two paragraphs and no research should be alike. [E4] <span style="display: block; height: 1px; left: -40px; margin-left: 0.5in; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; position: absolute; text-indent: -0.5in; top: -25px; width: 1px;"> • ** Activity 2: Unified Tattoo Meanings, 4 class periods. ** <span style="display: block; height: 1px; left: -40px; margin-left: 11pt; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; position: absolute; top: -25px; width: 1px;"> The teacher will list all of the major body parts and areas (or however many students there are), and write them on separate pieces of paper to create a random raffle for the students. Whatever body part a student receives, he or she will need to design tribal-like tattoos according to their research done from Activity 1. [E5] The teacher will do a demonstration of Adobe Illustrator for those of who are not aware of the program. There will be an option of hand-drawing the tattoos, so a demonstration will be shown with scanning in their final tattoo and turning it into an Adobe Photoshop file. Afterwards, all students will need their designs approved by the teacher for quality and craftsmanship. Students will then copy their designs onto a single body template provided by the teacher on Photoshop to form [E6]

<span style="display: block; height: 1px; left: -40px; margin-left: 0.5in; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; position: absolute; text-indent: -0.5in; top: -25px; width: 1px;"> • ** Activity 3: Personalized Designs, 4 class periods. ** <span style="display: block; height: 1px; left: -40px; margin-left: 11pt; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; position: absolute; top: -25px; width: 1px;"> After learning about different cultural and social purposes for body art, students will design two original [E7]  that hold personal meaning. Students will have the option of doing this on a computer program or by pencil and paper, however, all students will need to have preliminary sketches before making their final designs. Each individual symbol (or step) of their entire design will need to be documented with a digital camera (for sketches and students who will hand-draw), as they will upload the images onto a computer to create a book on PowerPoint to explain the design and meaning of their tattoos. Afterwards, students will save each slide as a JPG file to upload and share on a class project website such as [E8]  The class website will provide documentation of all student project images (one project per unit) for other students, parents, and for the teacher to use as reference/share lesson ideas with other teachers on the web. <span style="display: block; height: 1px; left: -40px; margin-left: 0.5in; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; position: absolute; text-indent: -0.5in; top: -25px; width: 1px;"> • ** Activity 4: Wearable Markings, 2 class periods. ** <span style="display: block; font-family: arial; font-size: 13pt; height: 1px; left: -40px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; position: absolute; top: -25px; width: 1px;">The last activity of the unit will require the students to demonstrate, or "wear" their personal tattoos on their own body //or// on another person, using materials that are not harmful or damaging to the skin. Photo documentation will again, be necessary, especially if students are using human models other than themselves. Each student will take a maximum of 10 minutes to present their design and give a short reflection of what new information they acquired from this unit. There will be an option for students to wear their tattoos on the day of the presentation if they are their own model. Contact and approval with the principal and students’ parents will be made in advance so as not to alarm anyone for the day of the presentation. Photo documentation will not be necessary if students decide to we

<span style="display: block; height: 1px; left: -40px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; position: absolute; top: -25px; width: 1px;">  [E1]  Run-on sentence. Need to break it to sentences.

<span style="display: block; height: 1px; left: -40px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; position: absolute; top: -25px; width: 1px;">  [E2]  In the full lesson, you need to provide the main points and images.

<span style="display: block; height: 1px; left: -40px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; position: absolute; top: -25px; width: 1px;">  [E3]  In the full lesson, you need to set up the Google doc and link it to the lesson.

<span style="display: block; height: 1px; left: -40px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; position: absolute; top: -25px; width: 1px;">  [E4]  Is there enough variety to accommodate the number of the students?

<span style="display: block; height: 1px; left: -40px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; position: absolute; top: -25px; width: 1px;">  [E5]  Give students a rationale for this so that they understand why. In addition, does the tattoo need to carry the meaning associations of the culture such as status, class, gender, honor, and heroic deeds.

<span style="display: block; height: 1px; left: -40px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; position: absolute; top: -25px; width: 1px;">  [E6]  Good! Do they present their designs?

<span style="display: block; height: 1px; left: -40px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; position: absolute; top: -25px; width: 1px;">  [E7]  How many?

<span style="display: block; height: 1px; left: -40px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; position: absolute; top: -25px; width: 1px;">  [E8]  Explain the purpose of the blogging sit