Non Western Art - Maori Art

                                                                        Māori art 


Maori art consists of four forms that are created for symbolic or practical purposes. These four forms of art consist of carving, tattooing, weaving and painting. When the Europeans came, the art culture changed from spiritual to protest to show who the Maoris really are. They wanted to fight for their identities and beliefs. The main colors used to create these pieces of art were mainly red, black, and white. All of these were created from New Zealand. 



This painting is called Hinetitama created by Robyn Kahukiwa. This piece was created in 1980. This painting depicts Hinetitama, the first daughter of Tane and Hine-ahu-one. Hinetitama is the Goddess of Death. This painting shows her changing from a human to a Goddess.

I picked this painting above because it caught my eye with the bright colors. The line work was also an attention grabber as well. Lines in Maori culture can represent many different things. They tell stories of what happened in the past, this painting does just that.


 


This painting is called the Portrait of a young Maori woman with Moko. It was created by Louis John Steele in 1891. I picked this painting because I wanted to show the art of tattooing. This painting was to showcase the Maori beauty. Tattoos were a special thing for Maori men and women. Men had full face tattoos and women had their chin tattooed. They could be tattooed elsewhere but the face was the typical spot. The head was considered the most sacred spot on the body. Tattoos showing pride and also mana. Mana is the spiritual life force in the universe and it also represents different tribes. The Maori called tattoos are Ta Moka. Each design is created from many different patterns that can tell a story. Each tattoo is drawn from scratch. You then discuss what meanings you want to incorporate into the tattoo. Tattooing for the Maori people was a rite of passage. This artist is considered to be holy in some cases.

From today's point of view, the tattoo tools are completely different from the Maori people. The Maori people use natural products when they tattoo. They use knives and chisels made from shark teeth. I showed this for the tattoo on this woman's chin. I loved the line work with this tattoo. It is a tattoo that is very unique to her and her only. With the Maori people, you will not ever find one of the same tattoos between them. Makes the tattooing even more special.




 


Carvings and sculptures were a big thing with the Maori people in New Zealand. Carvings like the picture above, were made from wood, bone and stone. This piece above is a wood carving that decorated a house. Stone and bone were usually used for jewelry making. Carving showed their beliefs and traditional customs. Maori carvings do differ a little from the typical Polynesian style. These carvings were created and used in spiritual rituals. They acted as vessels for the gods and also their ancestors. The main purposes for the carvings were for recording history, construction, and decorations. Carvings were the written language for the Maori people at one point. 

I chose this carving because of the amazing detail shown. As I have said in the 

In the previous paragraphs, the line work is done really well. The lines tell stories. The amount of time that it takes to create these is really long but they turn out to be really cool.



https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-arthistory/chapter/art-of-new-zealand/

https://www.mountainjade.co.nz/blogs/news/maori-carvings-and-new-zealand-identity

Comments

  1. Eric's BlogDecember 2, 2021 at 4:23 PM

    Hey Taylor,
    Maori artwork is not something I have seen much of personally, I have read about the Maori people and their culture but never seen some of their art before so it was something I enjoyed taking a look at here as part of your blog. I personally enjoy the wood carvings and reading that they served a similar to a written language and not just for artistic usage.

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