Mau Moko

Ono tekau ngā tau e kōkiri ana (auē) mō o mātou tikanga For 60 years we fought for our tradition He tata wareware te tuhi toi, i tata ngaro ō mātou ritenga An art nearly forgotten, our practice almost lost Koropehu ō mātou tōhunga, ka pēhia e te kuīnitanga The suppression of our tōhunga, suppressed by the crown I parea mātou e te mana moko i āu mahi kino Our moko protected us from your hate Ko te hunga mau moko mātou We are the people who wear moko E kore koe e mātau (e) You don't understand Te tikanga tāmoko The story in our markings Kōrero tuku iho The story of our ancestors Tāngata Mau Moko We are the people who wear moko Kua horahia e koe te kiri Māori hei whakaaturanga You displayed our skin as spectacle Hoki mai te mana, nā te ao taihara i whakaora (e) We have taken back our tradition, revived by a criminal world Ka whiua mai rā ō kanohi whakawā kei patu mai Your judging eyes try to hurt us Otirā, ka whakamarua mātou e te moko i tō mauāhara But our moko protects us from your hate Ko te hunga mau moko mātou We are the people who wear moko E kore koe e mātau (e) You don't understand Te tikanga tāmoko The story in our markings Kōrero tuku iho The story of our ancestors Tāngata Mau Moko We are the people who wear moko Mau Moko Wear moko Ko te hunga Mau Moko We are the people who wear moko Hoki mai te mana Restore our mana Kō wai mātou ē! Who are we! Ko nga tangata mau moko mātou We are the people who wear moko Kīhai koe e māmara You don't understand Ō mātou kōrero tuhi kiri The story in our markings Ō mātou kōrero tuku iho! The story of our ancestors! Ko te hunga mau moko mātou We are the people who wear moko E kore koe e mātau (e) You don't understand Te tikanga tāmoko The story in our markings Kōrero tuku iho The story of our ancestors Tāngata Mau Moko We are the people who wear moko “Mohoao, makimaki, ao kōhatu, kōmuri” Kao! “Savage, monkey, stone age, backwards” No! Kō wai mātou ē! Who are we! Ko nga tangata mau moko mātou e! We are the people who wear moko Ko te hunga Mau Moko We are the people who wear moko

Submitted by Cyberwaste — Nov 13, 2025