The Story behind Traditional Maori 1）Tattoos

⊙ By David Leveille ⊙ 翻译：BillyBudd

文身，或者刺青，对我们来说并不陌生，现代人的文身会被视为一种时尚。其实，文身有至少两千多年的历史了，它是原始宗教的一种表现方式，表达人们对生活的一种态度。据考，新西兰毛利人的文身历史有数千年之久，被称为世界各地土著人文身的鼻祖。一起来了解一下吧。

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Host:Tattoos are quite fashionable and popular among a wide range of Americans, but they’re much more than simple2）ornamentationfor the Maori people of New Zealand. Ngahuia Te Awekotuku is a Maori woman who wears a tattoo style called a moko.

Ngahuia:Maori people have been ornamenting skin for thousands of years. We’re a part of a Pacific tradition, which happens in Samoa, in Easter Island, in Hawaii and French Polynesia. The3）insertionof ink into the skin has been something that the peoples of the Pacific have always done. It’s about beauty, it’s about identity, it’s about courage, it is very much an insertion of who the person is, it may be an insertion of who the person wants to be. What is interesting is that, from the very first4）encounter,like the original encounters of voyagers like5）Cap.Cook and 6）Banks, they were7）fascinatedby the8）aestheticof moko.

Host:Ngahuia, you talked about the moko tradition. Tell me what that is.

Ngahuia:It’s a celebration of life,it’s a way of remembering those that have died, it’s a statement about events and…

Host: Is it the same as a tattoo,or does it mean something different?

Ngahuia:For Maori, for us,tattoo, moko, is a way of saying we are here, we survived what happened, and we will never go away.

Host:Now you talk about the Maori designs being9）incrediblypersonal, incredibly meaningful. How do you feel about the Maori designs becoming so10）popularizedinternationally by tattoo artists who have no idea where they come from?

Ngahuia:It’s beyond our control.

Host:Is it a11）tributeor a12）rip-off,do you think?

Ngahuia:It’s both. I think it’s a tribute when the artists are Maori. I also think it’s a tribute when someone like13）Mike Tyson, obviously the descendant of a14）warrior 15）lineage, hasn’t the knowledge of who he actually is, but can look around the world and find a place and a people with whom he can connect. It’s about connection.When there’s a connection, I think it’s a tribute. When it’s about making great big,16）stark, 17）dazzlingimages on your skin18）for the sake offashion, or for the sake of looking19）mean,then I think, “Oh,no,” you know, “it’s happening.”

◆ Maori 毛利人：新西兰原住民和少数民族，属波利尼西亚人的一部分。其语言属南岛语系波利尼西亚语族，有文字。毛利人原信毛利原始宗教，有祭司和巫师，禁忌甚多，现多信基督新教。毛利人主要从事农业、渔业，兼事狩猎、采集，擅长木、骨、石刻手工艺。其碰鼻礼和文面广为人知。

◆ Tā moko 毛利人刺青：不同于现代的针刺文身，毛利人刺青是用信天翁骨头制成的凿子雕凿而成，因此，毛利人刺青后的皮肤并不光滑，可见清晰的沟槽。毛利人刺青是身份地位的象征，刺青者多为社会地位较高者。此外，毛利人在成年时也会文上刺青以示成年。男性的刺青一般覆盖整个面部、臀部及大腿，女性的刺青则多在唇部及下巴。

1） tattoo [tæ'tuː] n. 刺青，文身

2） ornamentation [ˌɔːnəmen'teɪʃən]n. 装饰物，装饰，下文的ornament是其动词形式。

3） insertion [ɪn'sɜːʃ（ə）n] n. 插入，嵌入

4） encounter [ɪn'kaʊntə（r）] n. 邂逅，相遇

5） Cap. Cook 库克船长，即詹姆斯·库克（James Cook），18世纪英国皇家海军军官、航海家、探险家和制图师，曾三下太平洋，属于首批登陆澳洲东岸和夏威夷群岛的欧洲人。1769年10月，库克船长首次登陆新西兰。

6） Banks 即约瑟夫·班克斯（Joseph Banks），随库克船长航海的英国植物学家。

7） fascinate ['fæsɪneɪt] v. 使着迷，使神魂颠倒

8） aesthetic [iːs'θetɪk] n. 美感

9） incredibly [ɪn'kredəblɪ] adv. 非常地，难以置信地

10） popularize ['pɒpjʊləraɪz] v. 普及，推广

11） tribute ['trɪbjuːt] n. 致敬，敬意

12） rip-off ['rɪp'ɔːf] n. 偷窃，剽窃

13） Mike Tyson 迈克·泰森，曾获世界上最年轻的重量级拳击冠军，被认为是世界上最好的重量级拳击手之一，已在2005年宣布退役。泰森的面部及手臂均有刺青。

14） warrior ['wɔːrɪər] n. 战士，勇士

15） lineage ['lɪnɪɪdʒ] n. 血统，世系

16） stark [staːk] adj. 明显的

17） dazzling ['dæzlɪŋ] adj. 眼花缭乱的

18） for the sake of 为了

19） mean [miːn] adj. 难对付的，不好惹的