Maori Tattoo Design from the story of life Pikorua – Maori for Growth and the Joining Together of Two Different Things (i.e. The Earth & The Sea)
- Tama nuite Ra– Maori for “The sun”
- Papatuanuku – Maori for “Earth mother”
- Papatuanuku – Maori for “Earth mother”
- Tangaroa – Maori for “God of the sea”
- Te Waipounamu /Green stone Waters
- Te Waka A MauiMauis
- Waka – South Island
- Te Ika A Maui/Aotearoa– Maori for “Fish of maui / Land of the long white cloud/ North Island”
- Koru – Maori for “New life”7 Rakau–Whakapapa–Maori for “Genealogy”
Some Iwi (tribes) believed it was Tangaroa and Papatuanuku who were together in the beginning. Tama nuite Ra represents warmth, growth and new life, this Maori tattoo design is a representation of life and the journey that it takes.
We came from mother earth and one day we go back to her. As the tattoo design depicts, all rivers eventually lead to the ocean.
So it is in life – we all take different paths and there are many different bends – but we all end up in the same place.
The koru represents the continuation of life and new growth.