Fotos

Photo of two Maori faces carved into the trunk of a large tree. The face on the right is that of a male and the one on the left is that of a female. Both faces show Maori facial tattos or Ta Moko. These tattos marked rites of passage as well as marking important events during a persons life. They also made the person more attractive to the opposite sex. Traditionally the tattooing was done using a bone chisel, either with a serrated or an extremely sharp straight edge. The first stage of the tattoo commenced with the graving of deep cuts into the skin. Next, a chisel was dipped into a sooty type pigment such as burnt Kauri gum or burnt vegetable caterpillars, and then tapped into the skin. It was an extremely painful and long process, and often leaves from the native Karaka tree were placed over the swollen tattoo cuts to hasten the healing process.

Tech: Photo has been scanned, cropped, USM and levels adjusted.