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Toi moko, or mokomokai, are the preserved heads of Māori, the indigenous people of New Zealand, where the faces have been decorated by tā moko tattooing. They became valuable trade items during the Musket Wars of the early 19th century.
Tā moko is the permanent marking or tattooing as customarily practised by Māori, the indigenous people of New Zealand. It is one of the five main Polynesian tattoo styles (the other four are Marquesan, Samoan, Tahitian and Hawaiian). [1] Tohunga-tā-moko (tattooists) were considered tapu, or inviolable and sacred. [2]
One such example was a museum display of human remains, ‘mokamokai’ (now referred to as toi moko; preserved heads of Māori, whose faces had been adorned with tā moko). Displaying human remains of this kind was popular in Western museums, which Māori found both ‘disappointing’ and ‘culturally insensitive.’
New Zealand news website Stuff has described her as being at the "forefront" of the revival of tā moko. [8] She has designed and inked traditional tā moko all over New Zealand, and many customers request her work because she is one of few women who practice the art. [3] [6] [9] She uses modern tools as well as traditional uhi (chisels) carved ...
For example, in May 2017 and July 2018 the marae was the site of ceremonies of repatriation of Māori and Moriori remains – including toi moko – from several European and American institutions. [9] [10] [11] Rongomaraeroa is unique in its ability to serve as the location for such ceremonies as it is a "nationalised, pan-iwi marae". [12]
Kipa's moko work is just one aspect of his art practice that reflects an artist drawing on his cultural heritage in new and exciting ways, demonstrating how tradition and innovation are, in fact, one and the same. [6]: 26 In 2004 Kipa was a Te Waka Toi Inaugural Artist in Residence in the Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre, Nouméa. [2]
Māori cultural history intertwines inextricably with the culture of Polynesia as a whole. The New Zealand archipelago forms the southwestern corner of the Polynesian Triangle, a major part of the Pacific Ocean with three island groups at its corners: the Hawaiian Islands, Rapa Nui (Easter Island), and New Zealand (Aotearoa in te reo Māori). [10]
One practice was after death to preserve the skin-covered skull known as Toi moko or mokomokai. In the period of early contact between Māori and Europeans these heads were traded especially for firearms. Many of these are now being repatriated back to New Zealand led by the national museum Te Papa. [98] [99] [100]