Page 8 - Fifty-fifty Aug 2021 (1)_Neat

Ta Moko and the Other Tattoos

by Jan Gould

On the 9th July 2021 one of the most interesting evenings held at the Indonesian Embassy to date, took place on
the subject of tattoos. It was called “Ta Moko: our Treasure”. Victor Te Paa and Maria Carroll who are both tattoo
artists working in Wellington, spoke about the history and cultural significance of tattooing in the Pacific and in New
Zealand. If people approach our Vice President Rito Triumbarto for the PowerPoint explaining the talk, I am sure
that he will share it.

Often the really interesting part of the evening is the time when questions are asked. When I sought feedback from
the presenters about the questions, they were very clear that H.E Tantowi Yahya asked the most insightful
questions about facial tattoos, when he asked about the purpose and the effect of a full face moko.
Victor answered his question and said that there are two parts to a full face moko. The first is the person, was he
able to have the strength and courage to wear this for the rest of his days? And, secondly, was the design such that
the tattoo showed what was needed to be said about the person, his physical origins and his tribal lineage. In his
introduction, Victor had said that he often feels like a therapist, trying to find out why a person wants a tattoo and
what s/he wants it to represent. When the full-face tattoo was completed, many in the tribe would first address the
moko and then the person who wore it. Victor also said that he often referred a person to the tattooist who is better
at representing the symbolism of that particular tribe.

And, he conceded what can happen is that the moko can in fact wear the person rather than the person wear the
moko.

It was clear that many Indonesians find “body” art to be intimidating, and something that they would never do
themselves because they think it is something criminals do. In fact, when he introduced the topic, Rito Triumbarto
said that there were parts of Indonesia where the cultural practices of tattooing do take place, as indicated in the
July issue of Fifty-Fifty, page 8.

Rito mentioned the Dayak people of Kalimantan (Borneo) and Mentawai where people traditionally wear tattoos for
a number of reasons which included status and also to show where your tribe is located. However, in Indonesia
these cultures are in the minority.

Why is tattooing something that the majority of Indonesians would never do? The reason is that Indonesia is both
very conservative and also the majority of the population are Muslim. And, in the past – some 40 years ago, there
were several criminal gangs who had tattoos to indicate allegiance to a criminal fraternity.

FIFTYFIFTY | ISSUE 18 8