An increasing number of young wāhine Māori are embracing moko kauae – the traditional chin moko – as a powerful expression of identity, connection and cultural revival.
Re: News followed one of the journey of one of them – Siobhan Moana Mary-Jean Grant’s (Ngāruahine, Taranaki, Ngāti Manawa, Ngāti Wai) – to receiving hers.
You can watch the full video on TVNZ+ now.
For Siobhan, the decision to receive her moko kauae was not sudden — it was something she had felt her whole life.
“Ever since I was a little girl, I would see it on me,” she says. “And now as an older wahine, the calling didn’t go away. The karanga just stayed — and it got louder and louder and louder.”
Raised in Murupara, Siobhan grew up surrounded by te ao Māori. She attended a kura kaupapa Māori and was immersed in kapa haka, where seeing women wearing kauae was common and inspiring.
“Whenever I see anybody wear moko, my heart space opens and it gets warm. And I’m so proud — it’s a reflection that we’re still here.”
When she was 12, she moved to Picton in the South Island, where she says she lost her connection with te ao Māori.
“The cultural shock, as an adult, I can recognise it now – but as a child, I did not.
“That was a lot for a 12-year-old young Māori wahine to go from one place of connection to a place of disconnection.”
The growth of moko kauae
Auckland-based tāmoko artist Tyler-Jade Whatarangi (Rereahu, Ngāti Kahu) says when she was doing her apprenticeship, she saw two, maybe three wāhine receiving their moko kauae in those three years.
Now, she is doing about four a week.
“Around five years ago, there was a huge increase in the number of wāhine getting their kauae done, especially young wāhine,” she says.
Siobahn is one of those and she has embraced her decision. After receiving her kauae, she says: “When I looked at myself for the first time, I felt whole, complete, reconnected.”
Watch the full story on TVNZ+
