Maori Tats

One form of popular tattoo design is the Maori style , also known as Ta Moko. Ta Moko seems to be a big part of the Maori people (the original inhabitants of New Zealand) culture, and it is a tradition that has survive thousands of years and colonization by the West. Lately, it has experienced a revival among American tattoo culture with many non-Maoris getting Ta Moko designs.

There is a Maori myth as to how ta moko developed on the site http://history-nz.org/maori3.html:

It started with a love affair between a young man by the name of Mataora (which means "Face of Vitality") and a young princess of the underworld by the name of Niwareka.

One day however, Mataora beat Niwareka, and she left Mataroa, running back to her father's realm .
Mataora, filled with guilt and heartbreak followed after Niwareka. After many trials, and after overcoming numerous obstacles, Mataora eventually arrived at the realm of "Uetonga", but with his face paint messed up after his voyage. Niwareka's family mocked Mataora for his appearance.

In his very humbled state, Mataora begged Niwareka for forgiveness, which she eventually accepted. Niwareka's father then offered to teach Mataora the art of tattooing.

Mataora and Niwareka thus returned together to the human world, bringing with them the arts of ta moko and taniko.

Ta Moko is traditionally not done with electric needles but by a tapping technique that is practice by many other traditional cultures. I have heard it is pretty painful since they take a stick or rod with about eight thin needles or a sharpen animal bone at one end and use another implement to lightly tap the needles under the skin to create an image. Definitely not for the faint at heart.
Ta Moko are more than just decorations for the skin but is a form of identification and shows the wearers rank, beauty, virility, availability for marriage, and family history. It is usually is done on the face but body designs are not uncommon. For men, tattoos on the face have different meanings depending on the part of the face it is on.

The center forehead area= rank
Around the brows=position
The eyes and nose area= rank
The temples=first or second marriage
The area under the nose= signature
The cheek area=work
The chin =mana (spiritual energy)
The jaw =birth status
The left side of the face= Father's Ancestry
The right side of the face= Mother's Ancestry

Women are only allowed to tattoo their lips , the chin area and sometimes the nostrils. Full blue lips is the ultimate form of beauty.

Choosing the designs for a moko was a long process and was not taken lightly. It is for this and others that some Maori are unhappy about the use of their designs by non-Maori who may not take the time to really understand the significance of the design they are getting.