According to mythology Māori, the Moko tattoo began with a love story between a young man named Mataora (meaning "face of vitality") and a young princess from the world of darkness named Niwareka.
The Moko
One day Mataora struck Niwareka. Niwareka then fled to join his father's kingdom, a kingdom named Uetonga. Mataora, heartbroken and repentant, set out in search of Niwareka. After many trials, and after overcoming many obstacles, Mataora finally arrived in the kingdom of Uetonga. But, after his long journey, the paint on his face was dirty and damaged.
Niwareka's family made fun of Mataora's pitiful appearance. Humbly, Mataora begged Niwareka for forgiveness, and she eventually granted it. Niwareka's father then offered to teach Mataora the art of Moko tattooing. At the same time, Mataora learned the art of Taniko – which consisted of trimming the edges of coats with braids of all colors.
Mataora and Niwareka then returned to the human world, bringing back the art of moko and that of taniko.
The head was considered the most sacred part of the body, and as tattooing caused blood to flow, the tattoo artists, the “tohunga-ta-oko”, were particularly “tapu” people. All high-ranking Māori were tattooed and those who were not were considered people of no social status. Furthermore, the moko made the warrior attractive to women.
Moko tattooing began at puberty, accompanied by many rites and ritual ceremonies. The instrument used for tattooing was a bone chisel, either with a jagged edge or with a straight, very sharp edge. The first operation of tattooing consisted of making deep cuts in the skin.
Then the chisel was dipped in a soot pigment, such as the burnt gum of the native gum tree, Kauri (a large conifer of the northern forests of the North Island, with a slender bole and a very tall crown, which can become giant), or the soot from burned caterpillars. Then the pigment was hammered into the skin. It was extremely painful and very long; Often, leaves of the native Karaka tree were placed on the blistered tattoo incisions to speed healing.
Wars were frequent, and the warrior had little time to recover. During the healing time, it was often impossible to eat, due to facial swelling. To achieve this, liquid food was poured into a wooden funnel until the warrior was again able to eat normally. During the tattoo, the flute was played and poems were recited, to help relieve the pain. Although tattoos were mostly done on the face, the warriors of North Auckland had spiral tattoos on their buttocks, and often down to their knees.
The work of the tohunga was surrounded by a certain ritual and religious practices. This is what gave it a priestly character. The tohunga could specialize in a discipline: sacred knowledge, ritual ceremonial, history, legends and genealogies, or even: relationships with spirits and demons, but, in fact, everyone had to have skills in other areas.
The tohunga-magicians underwent a long physical and mental training. Their trade with the gods was believed to give them supernatural powers. So they were influential advisers to tribal councils and important chiefs who wielded great power from their ancestry.
We consulted the Tohunga, who wondered about the future by throwing a stick made of “raupo” (typha angustifolia, a species of reed very common in New Zealand.)
Any person who is skilled and expert in an art can be qualified as a Tohunga: for example construction (canoes or houses), tattooing, wood carving, etc. The work of the Tohunga was surrounded by a certain ritual and religious practices. This is what gave it a priestly character.
