Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Tā moko, the traditional Māori art of tattooing, was rarely seen for decades before a modern resurgence began to take shape in New Zealand. From the 1980s onward, Māori cultural movements and renewed expressions of identity helped bring moko back into public life.
A first generation of contemporary practitioners, many trained as carvers, worked to recover knowledge, designs and practices connected to their ancestors. Collectives such as Te Uhi created spaces where artists could exchange ideas and develop their work, while women practitioners also asserted their place within the tradition.
The revival was not without resistance. Māori communities debated the return of moko, while gangs, prisoners and Rastafarians also played a role in the resurgence of facial moko and its evolving forms.
Through the voices of practitioners and wearers, discover how tā moko was reclaimed as an expression of Māori identity, whakapapa and culture.
Documentary: Moko EP2 : Modern Revival
Directed by: Jessica Sanderson
Production: Velvet Stone Media (2022)
#documentary #freedocumentary #tamoko #maori #maoriculture #maoriart #maoriidentity #newzealand #indigenousculture #culturalrevival #traditionalart #moko #whakapapa
Tā moko, the traditional Māori art of tattooing, was rarely seen for decades before a modern resurgence began to take shape in New Zealand. From the 1980s onward, Māori cultural movements and renewed expressions of identity helped bring moko back into public life.
A first generation of contemporary practitioners, many trained as carvers, worked to recover knowledge, designs and practices connected to their ancestors. Collectives such as Te Uhi created spaces where artists could exchange ideas and develop their work, while women practitioners also asserted their place within the tradition.
The revival was not without resistance. Māori communities debated the return of moko, while gangs, prisoners and Rastafarians also played a role in the resurgence of facial moko and its evolving forms.
Through the voices of practitioners and wearers, discover how tā moko was reclaimed as an expression of Māori identity, whakapapa and culture.
Documentary: Moko EP2 : Modern Revival
Directed by: Jessica Sanderson
Production: Velvet Stone Media (2022)
#documentary #freedocumentary #tamoko #maori #maoriculture #maoriart #maoriidentity #newzealand #indigenousculture #culturalrevival #traditionalart #moko #whakapapa
