Description

Dover 1st thus 2003
8vo pb 216pp. Unabridged republication of 'Moko; or Maori Tattooing' first published in 1896 F 405 gms 
(Order reference 14987).

Originally published in 1896, this classic of ethnography was assembled by a skilled illustrator who first encountered Maori tattoo art during his military service in New Zealand. Maori tattooing (moko) consists of a complex design of marks, made in ink and incised into the skin, that communicate the bearer s genealogy, tribal affiliation, and spirituality. This well-illustrated volume summarizes all previous accounts of moko and encompasses many of Robley s own observations. He relates how moko first became known to Europeans and discusses the distinctions between men and women s moko, patterns and designs, moko in legend and song, and the practice of mokomokai: the preservation of the heads of Maori ancestors. Features 180 black-and-white illustrations.