MOKO, OR TATTOO. 
319 
head chief of Taupo with an English wig, made of light 
brown hair ; this was worn over his own raven locks, which 
descended on every side full half a foot below the artificial 
covering, and gave him a most extraordinary appearance, 
heightened by his total unconsciousness of the ludicrous 
figure he was making. 
Ear ornaments, are, of course, in general use, as they are 
about the last remains of heathenism which will be given up 
by the fair sex ; in New Zealand they are worn by both 
sexes, and are of great variety ; those of green stone are 
most highly prized, sharks’ teeth, if of large size, are, if pos- 
sible, still more so ; but the natives are not very particular ; 
the ring of a musket, a little roll made of a leather strap, or 
even of paper, may frequently be seen in the ears of the 
most distinguished individuals, and many wear the skins 
of the Huia or Tui birds stuck in them ; the neck orna- 
ment is generally of green stone, wrought into the form 
of a human figure, and called hei tiki ; the hair of a 
chief's head is tied up in a knot, with one or more feathers 
stuck in it ; the favorite ones are those of the Huia, which 
are velvety black, tipped with white, and are certainly very 
beautiful ; but the grand ornament of all was the moko, or 
tattoo ; this was in general use, all ranks adopted it ; a 
papatea, or plain face, was a term of reproach ; some were 
more fully tattooed than others, but all more or less so ; 
the great chiefs had their faces and thighs entirely covered 
with this ornamental renting of the skin ; the ladies had 
their lips and chins operated upon, with a little curl at the 
corner of the eye ; frequently their persons also were covered 
with small strokes of tattooing, these might be called beauty 
patches, such as those made of a bit of court plaster, which 
were once thought highly ornamental. 
To set off the moko to advantage, it was necessary to give 
up the beard, which was not considered in the light of an 
ornament ; in former days, a pair of mussel shells were 
employed, but since their acquaintance with Europeans, 
large tweezers have taken their place, these are an inch and 
a half wide, and three or four long, and were generally seen 
