The Maori tribe is a collection of smaller sub tribes one of the largest is the 'hapu' which can be traced back 10 generations. Each tribe was responsible for their own territory and hunting which was usually controlled by a chief , the chief was recognised by tattoo's. Although the chief had the final say , the tribes held discussions on matters that affected the entire tribe. 'Tohunga' was the name given to the most skilled person in the tribe who would become the craftsman and also told spiritual stories to the rest of the tribe . When a member of the tribe died they would preserve the head which was called ' pakipaki' , the heads of other tribes chiefs would also be preserved as an insult to that tribe.
NewZealandExposed.com 2010.TheMaoriTribe[online] [Tuesday9thOctober2012] Available on : http://www.newzealandexposed.com/maori-tribe.html]
Picture found :http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/etexts/BesMaor/BesMaor-034.jpg
This a Maori coffin where the bones of the dead would be kept , the details in the carving on the body of the coffin resemble tattoos that the deceased may have had. The eyes have been replaced with patterns, this could be a innovative experiment in my make up designs , instead of having the eyes open , using the eyelids to create a hollow pattern .
Picture found: http://www.thehistoryblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Maori-head.jpg
A preserved head should not be a pretty site, however this preserved Maori head is undeniably beautiful. The decaying of the eyes and teeth adds a sense of journey and reality to the head , a long time has past,
but the struggles and triumphs of this persons achievements can be acknowledge through the skin . The tattoos contour the face perfectly , the symmetrical shapes are astonishing and hard to believe they were created many years ago. As I previously looked at textured sculptures this head excites me further. I would like to experiment creating a leather effect, tight tattooed face and then crumble parts of it away to appear decayed through age.
No comments:
Post a Comment