Māori signs and tattoos?

Question

I'm French and I would know what the Māori signs means please ! We can see them on many rugby players, on their face, their arms or their thighs ... what it means ?

PS: Can you tell me if I do mistakes in English please ?

Answer 1

Each Maori tattoo is supposed to be different and unique to the person that has them but they all usually tell a story.  They can be designs to represent their family history, their own lives, friends and family, events that are important to them or even just designs that they like.  Some designs are even for luck or protection

The most common one that you will find in most Maori tattoo's is the koru.  It is used in the Air New Zealand logo and is a common part of Maori tattoo's, often repeated multiple times.  It is a symbol of new life, peace, luck and strength.

I am part Maori and I am planning on getting a large tattoo on my back when I go home to New Zealand to illustrate my life and significant events that have happened so far, while leaving room for more to come.  It is totally personal choice for whether someone gets one and what/where they put it.  The ones you see on faces are called Moko and are pretty rare these days but you will still see them in New Zealand.

A lot of other Pacific Islands have the same type of tattoo's as well and they are actually a bit more common with New Zealand being a bit more "Westernised" that most of them.  Samoa, Cook Islands, Tonga, Fiji, Niue, Rarotonga and many others have their own designs and meanings.

As for your English... I think it is very good!  There are no major mistakes and its actually better than some English speaking people here!  "what it means" should probably be "what does it mean" or "what do they mean".  "Can you tell me if I do mistakes in English please?" should probably be "if I make mistakes"... but I am most definately not an English expert!!!

Answer 2

Kia Ora

for more information try:

www.tikitat.com  click into gallery

www.maori-arts.com

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