Tattoo Maori Design

Traditionally the Maori used the bones of albatrosses to do this and other cutting tools, these tools cut deep grooved into the skin, the coloring is for the family history and the story telling is the actual patterns on the skin, Which will allow like an elder to look at the pattern and tell you some ones family history based on design, the moko and pattern! See there is more than meets the eye with a maori tattoo design There is a common misconception around the world thinking that maori tattoos in their original sense were only done on the faces, however this is not true, they were also done on peoples bodies, what this allowed them to do was distinguish their chiefs or leaders by having these marking on their faces

 

Maori Tribal Tattoos found here

It is now common for westerners to have maori tattoo designs, this can be seen as a way of promoting the maori culture, however do you know that is a form of stealing maori tradition and culture? You should never go and copy anything in the form of tattoos from the maoirtanga without having a clue as to what it means, there could be a chance that a certain design belongs to a maori familyThis is what will happen if you just go out there and start copying maori tattoo designs

The sad fact is that this is what maoris think of people that steal the maori tattoo designs?

The word “pakeha” might not mean anything to you as a westerner however in the maoris language it is associated with negativity, those that never asking for anything and simply take without asking! Wouldn’t you say that this sounds more like stealing someones culture? Well this is what the maori think of other people and especially the western world for taking their tattoos, they feel that not only did they loose their land but also now they are loosing their culture of tattoo designs

The Maori see maori tattoo designs that are not done right as weakening their spirituality, their culture, and see the west as thieves for not having their own originality when getting maori tattoo designs.

Ok so i have written this article i hope it hasn’t dampened your spirit about getting a maori tattoo, but now what are you going to do in terms of finding and getting the perfect maori tattoo design? Well i hope that this article hasn’t made you change your mind about maori tattoo designs, no this article was intended to help you get a better maori tattoo design, so now how are you going to go about getting a maori tattoo and how will this help or affect you going foreword with your designs?

The easiest thing to do is to copy a design, however like i have mentioned this should be avoided, never ever go out and just copy a design that you see on a maori in new zealand

The best thing to do in this case when seeing a traditional maori tattoo design that you like would be to contact someone in new zealand that actually deals with maori tattoo designs and ask them what they think, yes i know this doesnt seem logical or easy but it is for the sake and request of this culture it is what makes the maori the maori! They need these designs and they need you to respect their requests or you could be contributing to their doom as a culture that might not be around in the next 300 years! Maoris are really only annoyed when you just take, they might even grant you a special maori tattoo for asking, do you want to know how many people would actually ask for a design? Not many! That’s right if you ask you will more likely be given the go ahead for a special maori tattoo design, this way it will be even more unique and you will have a one of a kind maori tattoo design that you can be proud of

These are the best maori Tattoo Designs on the net, click here