Ta Moko

What does Ta Moko mean?

Ta Moko is the permanent marking of the body or face practiced by the Maori, the indigenous people from New Zealand. 

Its practice has changed over the years, now it's done using a tattoo machine, but in the old days, bones or a stone chisel were used to cut the surface of the skin and then a pigment was applied to the cuts. Moko formed an important part of the visual culture and identity of Maori and was a rite of passage for both men and women. It was also a source of identity.

This idea of tattooing my body has been around my head for many years. The last 5 or 6 was when I really started figuring out what I wanted to do. I decided that I wanted a tribal style tattoo, but hadn't landed on the Maori style yet.  

When my daughter was about to be born, I realized that I wanted a style that could be translated into the symbolism of birth, family, strength, hardship, overcoming difficulties.  That's when I started to investigate it and found out about Polynesian Tattoos. 

I contacted a studio and asked about prices and what my vision was. But that then faded away. 

My daughter was born and no tattoo. 

After almost 3 years I decided to reach out to the same studio that I'd contacted a few years before and set up an appointment to speak with the in house Maori specialist tattoo artist. And that my friends, changed my life. 

When I met Simone, a guy with tattoos all over his body, he had lines covering his face and neck, he had tattoos all over his arms, and hands, I was impressed, really impressed of how our conversation was going. He explained to me what Ta Moko was in very brief words. He asked me a few questions, like what was my purpose in life? What were my priorities? For a moment I thought, but this is a tattoo studio, right? Not a therapist appointment. So he gave me some homework to do. To write down what my priorities in life were, and my plan to overcome them. 

I got back home, and during the evening I wrote down a bunch of stuff, like what had happened in my life the years before, separation, divorce, child custody, and challenges ahead. 

I came back the next day for our session, we talked for an hour or so, going through the lines I'd written, and we talked about self-esteem,  stress, work, family, sadness and how all that was affecting me. 

We went through a strategy to fight these things that were affecting my personal life. Like finding stimulus, taking chances, changing out old habits, and start creating a new life. 

We talked about the importance of having balance, too much love or too much hate, too much happiness or too much sadness, too much high-esteem or too much low-esteem creates unbalance, and that life is all about balance with oneself. Finding a path of love will guide you because hate is created by fear and fear will block you and will not let you move, it will drag you down and everything around you. 

 I've noticed that many of us live in fear, fear of dying, of losing a job, not having money, of being alone, of leaving someone that is causing us pain. 

At the time when we met, last year actually, I was going through hell at work, no one to talk to, feeling helpless and with no options and then this man told me what's the worse that could happen to you? If you quit? What's the worse that can happen to you if you have to leave the house you live in and move somewhere else? What's the worse that can happen? 

That idea stuck with me for the rest of the year. Things started to change when I decided that leaving my unhealthy job was part of the problem, that I needed a change, work out my personal relationships, but especially take care of me! Take care of me! Love me! I'm sorry if I'm repeating this to many times but the emphasis is right there ME!!!! We don't treat ourselves too well unfortunately, we live in fear, to act, and to react to the challenges that are presented to us. Lately, I've been meeting people that actually fit and could help me make decisions that I wasn't prepared a few years ago, these are the signs we must pay attention too and act on them. 

I see people on the streets now wearing those facemasks with fear in their eyes, thinking if other people are wearing masks as well, and looking for ways of how to be as far away as possible. 

Bury the past, be in the now, look into the future. 

PS: We finally went on to create the piece of art that I'm currently wearing on my right shoulder and it makes me feel so powerful every day I look into it through the mirror. 

Talk to you next time.

Stay safe and healthy.

Hugo