Tatau and Moko Designs - Essay Example

Every tribe; however minor, has heritage rights to certain patterns and art forms. Each indigenous group has its own culture and ways of life expressed in a unique way, and they have a right to uphold their traditions and safeguard what they believe in. Culture is a source of a people’s identity and it determines who they are. This keeps even the minority in existence for people to remember and identify them with their culture and practices. Every group of people is proud of their own identity.  Tribal tattoos are a common way of identity. In as much as some people might get tribal tattoos due to their remarkable form, they are majorly meant to identify one with a given tribe.

The Maori people, a minority group from New Zealand, use tribal tattoos not only as a form of identity but also as a show of one’s social status in society. According to them, one Moko designs improved one’s stature and indicated a shift in the status quo. On the utmost point, the Moko designs also declared the holy nature of leadership as performed by the elders (Ellis 185). Maori health tattoos were used to maintain one's youthful nature, especially girls would tattoo their chin and lips so that in case one's eyesight would fail at any point, he/she would repeat the tattooing again in order to see well.

According to the two YouTube videos I have watched, the Maori people are proud of who they are and are glad that the Moko designs are now widely spread. For instance, vacationers visit the area to see them and learn more about tattoos. Although it had started dying by the coming of the church and Christianity, it has been resurrected by those proud of the culture and the women are trying to uphold it by educating their children and grandchildren about the Moko and the beliefs of the Maori (Ellis 175). They say it identifies you and people need not ask who you are, where you come from, and what language you speak anymore. They are proud of themselves and the sense of satisfaction that comes with being a Maori. They even insist the Tatau and Moko designs have created a spirit of unity and brotherhood in them as it gives them a sense of belonging and sweeps away the fear that they have been concealed as a minority.

In my own opinion, I feel that since the Moko are used as an identity mark, the non-Maoris should not be allowed to get the Moko because it is a tribal tattoo and only the Maoris have the right to their specific patterns and art forms. Besides, although most non-Maoris are getting the Mokos on their bodies and faces, it has less significance to them; in fact, most of them do it for beauty, something which annoys the Maori people. For example, the likes of the famous Tyson and Robbie Williams got Mokos which created a lot of criticism among the Maori. To me, tribal tattoos should be left to the owners since they are the only ones who understand the significance and the sense of pride and belonging that comes with them. The elders initially had to determine whether one was ready to bear the tribal name and title for all their lives before they got one (Ellis 186). It should be strictly a form of identity for those who belong to a particular tribe. I also think the contemporary practice is still informed by Mana and Tapu. This is because the two were the basis of the Maori traditions; hence they cannot be ignored (Ellis 179). It signified respect towards people and society and also determined how people behaved towards one another. People are made up of culture; therefore, respect for people implies respect for their culture and way of life. In my opinion, Mana and Tapu still hold as a basis of conduct in Maori society.

In conclusion, people are identified by specific cultures unique to them. These cultures ignite a sense of pride and belonging to even the minorities who might feel more or less marginalized. Every tribe or group has a right to safeguard its own culture and other people should learn to respect it at all costs.