Aratoi Museum of Art and History is currently showcasing Te Papa’s new touring exhibition of photographs of ‘moko kauae’ - the tradition of tattooing moko on the chin of Maori women.
Kuia Mau Moko: Photographs by Marti Friedlander is an exhibition of 29 black and white photographs of Maori kuia, who were the last generation to receive the unbroken tradition of moko kauae in the 1920s.
“The photographs, taken in the late 60s and early 70s, to feature in historian Michael King’s book Moko – Maori Tattooing in the 20th century, were taken at a time when it was believed that the sun had set on this ancient tradition, ”Te Papa photography curator Athol McCredie says.
“The photographs tell a story of resilience, loss and sorrow for a way of life that was fast slipping away. Of course at the time none of them realised that within two decades moko kauae would begin a quiet revival eventually seeing hundreds of Maori women proudly bearing the moko of their ancestors and reconnecting the past with the future once again, ” Te Papa’s Senior Curator Māori Rhonda Paku says.
The photos were gifted to Te Papa in 2009 from the Gerrard and Marti Friedlander Charitable Trust on the condition they were shared with the nation.“Te Papa, through its founding philosophy of ‘Mana Taonga’, is committed to reconnecting living
descendants with each of these kuia wherever possible. We’re proud to share this exquisite collection of photographs with their communities of origin and the country,” Rhonda Paku says.
Marti Friedlander, Herepo Rongo, from the series ‘The Moko Suite’, about 1971, gelatin silver print. Gift of The Gerrard and Marti Friedlander Charitable Trust, 2009. Te Papa (O.033713)
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