Reclaiming the Moko

Maori heritage claims the walls at the Massachusetts Peabody Essex Museum. Thirty large format images of moko by award-winning Dutch photographer Hans Neleman make up the exhibition. Kimiora Ereatara Hohua describes the story of her own moko with Neleman: “The bottom of the design [on my chin] represents my mountains, the sides my whakapapa, the curls at my lips my children, and the top spirals each side of my family.” The ‘Body Politics’ collection is included as one of Boston’s Top Five winter 2008 museum shows and is on view from February 23 through February 1, 2009.