Te toi moko me te mokamokai
I ngā tau tōmua o te noho Pākehā, ka hokohoko haeretia ngā mokamokai hei puiaki whakahira, hei taonga hoki mā te hunga kaikohi taonga. He nui te utu mō te ūpoko kotahi, ā, he wā tērā ka whāia te hunga mau moko mō ō rātou ūpoko te take. Nā reira i paheke ai te tā moko. Ka kōhuru anō te Māori i ngā mōkai, kia tāia matetia mō te hoko. E rongo whānuitia ana te mokamokai huri noa, ā, ka whakataetae ngā whare taonga nui o te ao ki te hoko i ētahi.
Nō ngā tau 1980 ka ārahi a Dalvanius Prime i te whakahokinga o ngā mokamokai e mau ana i te hunga o tāwāhi. Ka whawhaitia te pakanga, ā, tae rā anō ki te whakahokinga o ngā mokamokai ki roto rawa i Te Papa Tongarewa. E kī ana rātou he toi moko, arā, hei wāhi tonu ki te whakaora anō i tō rātou mana.
Moko kauae
Nō te māramatanga ki te whakaora i te tā moko, ka nanahu te taikākā ki te whakapakari i tēnei toi Māori mā te akiaki i te hunga wāhine ki te mau i te moko. He āhuatanga tēnei i pūrangiaho matā ai te marea ki te mana me te tuakiri ake o te iwi.
E ora tonu ana te moko kauae tehe i te tekau tau 1980 otirā ngā kuikuia i tāia ki te moko i ngā tekau tau 1920 me 1930. Mā te aha i hopukina katoatia ā rātou māramatanga ki runga rīpene, ki rō puka hoki hei tirohanga mō te hunga o ēnei rā.
Te whakatakē i te moko
Kāre ētahi e rata ki te moko. I te tau 2007, ka panaia a Tunahau Kohu i tētahi karapu i Ōtautahi mō tōna moko te take. Nō muri rawa ka whakapāha te kaiwhakahaere o te whare. E ai ki a Ngāhuia Te Awekōtuku, te kaituhi o tētahi puka tā moko, he maha ngā tāngata ka whakatakē i a ia me tōna moko kauae. ‘Ka āwangawanga te tangata i tōku moko mēnā kei runga au i te arapiki, kei roto rānei au i te hokomaha … Ahakoa he ngaio ahau nō tētahi reanga noa atu ahau, ā, he tau tonu ōku kākahu. Ka mau kē te wehi i te tirohanga atu.'1
Te whakaoranga o te moko
I ngā tau o 1970 me 1980 ka tīmata ētahi kēnge ki te mau moko. Tekau tau i muri iho ka tū ko Tame Iti hei kanohi mō te whakaoranga anō o te mau moko i runga anō i te horopaki tōrangapū.
Nō konei ka kaha ake te reanga hou ki te mau moko hei tohu i te tuakiritanga Māori. Ko ētahi ka tā i te tinana hei tohu i te tuakiringa Māori, iwi hoki. Kua puea ake anō ngā tohunga tā moko o te ao Māori.
Nō te nanaioretanga ki te whakapuaki i te tuakiri Māori kua ora anō te mana o te tā moko i te Māori me te tangata whenua hoki.
