Tattoos on the face — a sacred tradition of Maori women

Maori women are traditionally tattooed on the chin in their teens. This drawing, called "moko kauae", is considered a visual manifestation of their personality. Maori believe that every woman wears her "moko" inside, near the heart, and when it "matures", the tattoo artist only has to depict it. These portraits of Maori women were made in the early twentieth century.

The Maori are the indigenous people of New Zealand, and this form of body art came to them from Polynesia.

Maori consider the face the most sacred part of the body, so they do tattoos on the face most often. The moko kauae pattern consists of curved lines and spiral patterns.

Often these tattoos covered the entire face and were a symbol of social status, rank, power and prestige.

For the Maori people, the tattoo meant a rite of passage, so it was very revered and ritualized. The tattoo was usually done in adolescence.

The Maori still can not find two identical tattoos: each of them is unique. Drawing is always very complex and detailed, it demonstrates both the skill and talent of the artist, and the beauty of the culture of the tribe.