September 07, 2022
Moko artists fight Snapchat tide
A leading tā moko artist says fighting cultural appropriation is an ongoing battle.
Tā moko artists are concerned about a proliferation of apps which allow users on sites like Snapchat and Instragram to project mataora, moko kauae and other tattoo patterns onto their faces.
Queensland-based Turumakina Duley says since the start of the moko revival 20 or so years ago leading artists have been going to conferences to educate their fellow tattoists on what’s appropriate or not, and how they might sensitively incorporate some Maori-style patterns.
But it’s hard to fight a trend.
“If images are appropriated for purposes of profit or whatever and there’s no consultation and it’s not done by Maori, how do you combat that ignorance? It’s a really ongoing battle and not one that is going to go away any time soon. All we can do is keep calling it out when it happens,” Duley says.