Maori Art

A detailed Summary of Maori Art

When looking at Maori art, there is one thing that sticks out amongst everything else with me, and with most likely everyone that sees it for the first time, this is their tattooing skills. They are equipped with many other art skills such as their carvings, weaponry, and townhouses, but the tattoos represent the tribe as a whole and are visible on the people themselves.

The art of tattoo was brought to New Zealand by the Polynesians when they migrated to New Zealand. Men of the tribe are more elaborately tattooed than the women. Their entire faces may be covered as opposed to the women who may only have certain parts of their faces covered such as their chins, cheeks, upper lips, and between the eyebrows. This is to show the dominance in ranking of the men over the women. The fact that the women cannot advance as far as the men shows how that the Maori felt when it came to male dominance over the women.

Other parts of the body can also be tattooed and other colors such as red and blue have been used to tattoo as opposed to just black. The body Moko (tattoos) is used to mark achievements personally in one's l

Meetinghouses were of great importance to all tribes across New Zealand. These houses were the symbol of the past for the tribe. They were the most elaborately decorated houses in the village. If another house were to be more beautiful, it would be an insult to the tribe. Here, the reflections of the tradition, spirit, and history could be seen in the carvings and elaborate designs in and around the house. The area in front of the meetinghouse was most important than even the house itself. Inside, carvings of figures of ancestors and gods told the story of the tribe and it's history. The Maori gather here to mourn, celebrate, discuss family matters, or whatever the occasion.

The Maori people may not have a written past that we can follow, but things such as carvings and tattoos show that they have a way of preserving their past. It also shows that there is a hierarchy and a form of government amongst the people. These facts tell us that although these may have been less civilized people than the rest of the world, they were disciplined and have the knowledge to keep their tribes together and peaceful.

Overa

Some common words found in the essay are:
Maori Maori, Zealand Polynesians, , Aussie/NZ Spring, Bibliography Cited, maori people, tribe elaborately, maori maori, hereditary claim,

Approximate Word count = 760
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History

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