Description
Author: Ariana Tikao; Matt Calman (Photographer); Ross Cal
Format: Hardback
Publication date: 10/11/2022
Imprint: AUCKLAND UNIVERSITY PRESS
ISBN: 9781869409708
One woman’s journey to her moko kauae as an expression of her K?i Tahu identity.I k? r? o mua, I would know my placein my t?puna’s time, I would know my face.Mokorua is a revealing and emotional account of one woman receiving her moko kauae.Ariana Tikao grew up in suburban Christchurch in the 1970s and ’80s surrounded by te ao P?keh?. This book tells the story of Ariana exploring her whakapapa, her wh?nau history and her language. This is one woman’s story, but it is interwoven with the revival of language, tikanga and identity among K?i Tahu wh?nau over the last thirty years.Ariana’s journey culminates in her decision to take on Mokorua – her moko kauae – from t? moko artist Christine Harvey. After an emotionally charged ceremony that brought together wh?nau, young and old, for songs and tautoko, hugs and tears, Ariana writes: ‘Our wh?nau had reached another milestone in the decolonisation process – or, rather, in our journey of reindigenising ourselves, becoming who we always were.’Through Ariana’s words, te reo M?ori text by her hoa t?ne Ross Calman, and an intimate, moving photo essay by Matt Calman, Mokorua reveals the journey of one woman reclaiming her M?ori identity.My moko has now surfaced from beneath my skin, and she, Mokorua, has revealedherself in her green-lined goodness.
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