i66 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



for battle, they had by no means a naked appear- 

 ance, but looked as though clothed in trunks 

 and breeches of beautifully artistic design. The 

 patterns adopted by the Maoris were confined to 

 the arabesques ; in no case was the depiction of 

 living forms known to have occurred. The lines 

 are spirals, volutes and straight. The artist 

 worked with a dyed chisel, the cutting and colour- 

 ing going on at the same time. Similar designs 

 were cut upon their wooden images, boats, etc., 

 but whether for practice, for imitation, or whether 

 the custom was of a sacred nature in its earliest 

 conception, does not appear to be known. 



Much care was exercised to keep the face clear 

 of hair, so that every mark showed to advantage. 

 This was necessary, if the different positions of 

 the patterns were indicative of the rank of the 

 wearer. Plucking of the hairs was the practice 

 followed — they had no means of cutting — to keep 

 face clean. Moko, as we have said, was a high the 

 honour and source of pride. Not only did it for 

 ever fix the rank, but the body or facial picture 

 had a certain artistic value among the Maoris 

 as personal adornment. To attain this condition 

 awful ordeals must have been passed, when the 

 artist had his patient at his mercy for weeks, 

 months, and even years, in personal suffering 

 without shrinking during the process of moko. 

 This can be understood when we remember 

 that suffering was of no account among these 

 people, who reverenced him who had killed 

 many in battle and eaten at least the eyes of 

 his victims. That act was considered to have 

 blended the living spirits of his slain enemies 

 within the person of the conqueror. When such 

 chieftain died, his own eyes were supposed to have 

 floated up to the firmament and become stars. 

 The brightest stars were named by the savage 

 Maoris after their greatest chiefs. 



Moko was practised to a limited extent on the 

 women, with lines on lips, chin and occasionally 

 on the forehead. The designs were simple in 

 character, and never so elaborate as those of the 

 men. The foreheads were less commonly tattooed, 

 and mention has been made of other parts of the 

 body having had patterns. When we consider 

 what civilized females of the human race will 

 suffer for fashion's sake, can we blame the Maori 

 beauties for having their lips made blue and 

 their dress-patterns inscribed on their skin by an 

 artist, instead of supplied by a fashionable draper 

 as in more modern times ? 



The moko process was one long agony for the 

 operated. The artist had few tools, and those 

 chiefly of bone, chipped, with razor-like edges. 

 They were commonly chisel-shaped, and made to 

 effect their work by tappings with a light piece of 

 wood. Though generally of bone, the uhi, or 

 chisel, was also made from sea-birds' wing-bones, 



sharks' teeth, or hard wood worked down to a fine 

 edge. Later, iron instruments were used and finer 

 lines produced. The average breadth of the blade 

 was about a quarter of an inch. The uhi has 

 been known to cut right through the cheek, so 

 that when the sufferer would take his pipe to ease 

 the pain, the smoke passed through the slit. The 

 pain was on all parts of the body, especially the 

 lips, most excruciating. The torture did not end 

 by immediate healing, for weeks afterwards the 

 wounds would often fester and slough, causing the 

 greatest suffering. The pigment used was largely 

 made from charcoal of the Kauri pine, a veronica, 

 and the fungus infected " vegetable caterpillar." 



The designs selected for illustration by General 

 Robley in his truly interesting book are in many 

 cases most artistic, especially those of the fore- 

 heads. We reproduce a couple of the figures by 

 permission of the author and publishers. The 

 first is Te Pehi Kupo, a Maori who visited England 

 in 1826. It will be noticed that he had not attained 

 the chief's badge of a mokoed upper lip. The 

 second figure is from a drawing of a beautifully- 

 prepared head in General Robley's collection. It 

 represents the mokomokai, or dried head, of some 

 ancestor, friend, or enemy of its first possessor. 

 The original is in the author's collection, the upper 

 lip indicates a chief. The hair is in beautiful 

 condition. There are many of these mokomokai 

 in existence in museums and a few private 

 collections. Fraud has been known among the 

 dealers in them, and their choice required some 

 technical knowledge. There are to be found 

 examples of post-mortem art, made to cozen the 

 unwary and uneducated collectors. From earliest 

 intercourse between the Maoris and the European 

 navigators, a trade was done in dried heads, the" 

 first head being obtained in 1770. If no dried 

 specimen was available for barter, a chief has 

 been known to parade his slaves, some of whom 

 were tattooed for the purpose, for the buyers to 

 select, and when the choice was made, the un- 

 fortunate was decollated and the head prepared 

 and sent on board the ship. 



The process of preserving mokomokai was first 

 by steaming the head in a native oven The soft 

 material was all removed from the interior of the 

 skull, the skin only being left. The skin was then 

 brought into place, showing where the pattern had 

 been worn in life. After plunging in cold water, 

 the remains of the head were dried and smoked by 

 a wood fire, which ended the process. 



It may be mentioned that a portion of General 

 Robley's collection is at present on view at the 

 Guildhall Museum in London, where he has 

 deposited it on loan. The exhibit occupied a case 

 of considerable size, and is composed entirely of 

 specimens of the art of moko, and other objects in 

 its connection. 



