Moko is the Maori name for their face and body tattoos. The Moko is carved into the skin giving the skin a grooved surface.

Moko was brought from eastern Polynesia with the migration to New Zealand.
In Maori legend a young man learnt tattooing from his lovers father, a king of the underworld.

He was given the skill after he had travelled across the world to apologise for a fight he had with the kings daughter.

All the high ranked Maori people had the moko done as it was a symbol of social status. Tattooing was done at puberty and marked important times in a person’s life. The Maori believed having the moko was attractive to the other sex.

The tattooist were considered important in ancient Maori times. Men and women both had the moko done.

These days moko is mostly done with a needle. Many Maori no longer have moko done but recently it has become more popular again as a sign of cultural identity.