The Maori facial tattoo was not only seen as a sign of rank though, but was also used as a kind of identification card. For men, their face tattoo showed their accomplishments, status, position, ancestry and marital status. It is considered highly insulting to be unable to recognise a person’s power and position by his moko.
The male facial moko or tattoo is generally divided into eight sections of the face:
The centre of the forehead called the ngakaipikirau, designated a person’s general rank
The area under the brows, called ngunga, designated his position
The area around his eyes and nose, uirere, designated his hapu, or sub-tribe rank
The area around the temples, uma, served to detail his marital status, like the number of marriages he had
The area under the nose, raurau, displayed the man’s signature that was once memorised by tribal chiefs who used it when buying property, signing deeds and officiating orders
The cheek area, or taiohou, showed the nature of the person’s work
The chin area, wairua, showed the person’s mana or prestige
Lastly, the jaw area or taitoto designated a person’s birth status
It can also be noted that a person’s ancestry is indicated on each side of the face. The left side is generally the father’s side and the right side the mother’s. Noble or note-worthy descent was a primary requirement before a moko was undertaken.
If one side of a person’s ancestry was not of rank, the corresponding side of the face would not have any design tattooed on it. And if the person undertaking the moko has no rank, or is not heir to anything of note then the centre of the forehead would be left without design.
For more on this, see this site: http://www.zealandtattoo.co.nz/tattoo-styles/maori-tattoos/
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