Pre-European–present · Aotearoa New Zealand
Tā Moko
Also known as Moko, Māori Tattoo, Moko Kauae (chin moko)
The sacred Māori tradition of curvilinear facial and body marking carved with uhi chisels, encoding genealogy, identity, and rank.
Original specimen, not a historical artifactOriginal specimen evoking the Tā Moko look. Owned; source: Design Style Book (original).
About the style
Tā moko is the sacred Māori tradition of permanent marking, most distinctively on the face, that long predates European contact in Aotearoa New Zealand. Traditionally the skin was not punctured but carved with bone chisels called uhi, leaving grooved, textured lines into which pigment was set, a process distinct from puncture tattooing elsewhere. The designs are flowing and curvilinear, built from spirals (koru), bold double-curve forms, and densely interlocking patterns that follow the planes of the face, with men's full-face moko and women's chin moko (moko kauae) carrying specific meaning. Moko is deeply tapu (sacred): the patterns record whakapapa (genealogy), tribal affiliation, status, and personal history, and are regarded as inseparable from identity. It is recognized by its sweeping spirals, mirror symmetry across the face, and the way negative skin shapes are as important as the inked lines. As a living taonga, moko is treated with great cultural respect and is generally borne by Māori.
Notable examples
- ▸Moko kauae (women's chin moko) revival
- ▸Te Papa Tongarewa — Māori taonga collections
- ▸Gottfried Lindauer — 19th-c. portraits documenting moko
Anatomy of Tā Moko
The numbered markers call out the design elements that define this style. Hover or tap a marker to see its breakdown.
Original specimen, not a historical artifactOriginal specimen evoking the Tā Moko look. Owned; source: Design Style Book (original).
A bold unrolling koru spiral occupies the upper-left, the central curl motif of Māori design evoking new fern growth.
Interlocking double-curve forms sweep across the upper-right, the rhythmic curvilinear backbone of moko.
A cluster of nested spirals in the lower-left echoes the rauponga lines that wrap the cheek in facial moko.
A lower-right band where unmarked skin shapes carry the pattern shows how negative space defines tā moko.
How Tā Moko connects
Styles form a network, not a tree. Explore the direct neighbours below — click any to travel the map one hop at a time.
- Regional variant of
Regional variant of Polynesian — the Māori facial and body tradition within the wider Polynesian family
Describe it like this
Prompt-ready vocabulary for describing or re-creating the Tā Moko look. Tap a word to collect it in Designdeas.