The cultural significance of Maori Tattooing

The Cultural Significance of Maori Tattooing

Introduction

Tattooing in the Maori culture does not only serve an aesthetic purpose but also represent strong cultural links (Ellis , 2004 . A cultural significance of Maori tattooing is as a source and expression of individual identity as a member of the community

Maori Tattooing

The origin of Maori tattooing is divine folklore . The story starts with a mortal man marrying the daughter of the ruler of the underworld . The daughter left her world to live with the mortal man . One day , the man beat

his wife . Due to this wrongdoing , his wife returned to her father 's world . After realizing his mistake , the man wanted to win back his wife He traveled to the underworld in search of his wife . Due to his remorse the gods awarded him the art of tattooing , which he brought back to the world (Palmer Tano , 2004 ) Tattooing represented a commitment to not doing any wrongdoing and man 's divine connection with the spiritual world . Tattooing for the Maori is a gift from the divine and a sign of goodness . Individuals receiving tattoos gain a divine favor by taking part in this gift from the gods

Maori tattoos are unique . It is different from person to person because the design of the markings depends on individual circumstances (Palmer Tano , 2004 . Every curve and line represents an aspect of a person 's life (Kuwahara , 2005 , which differs even with common experiences . The Maori people with tattoos display their marks with...