-(Turumakina Duley): So, Moko for me is a pathway of self-identity.

Knowing where you're going and who you are because of the traditions and the stories and the genealogical ties that you have back through generations past.

I can trace my genealogy fifth generation back to Maori.

That's quite a powerful thing to know your ancestral roots.

And who you are as a people group.

It really sets you up as an individual to be a confident human being in the world.

(theme music) ♪♪♪ -(narrator): Australia is the 6th largest country.

Although highly urbanized and developed, its population density remains among the lowest.

It's known for its diverse landscape which ranges from seashores to desert, to tropical rainforests and even mountain ranges.

Australia's terrain is as diversified as its population.

Having open borders between New Zealand and Australia has facilitated the migration of approximately 140,000 Maori to the country.

Turumakina is one of these Maori.

-What are you guys gonna make?

-I don't know... -My name is Turumakina Duley.

I am originally born in Aotearoa New Zealand.

We can probably break this down for parts, no?

-(boy): Yeah!

-You want to keep it?

-(boy): No!

-(boy): I want to... -We moved to Australia, ten years ago, when I met my soon-to-be-wife at the time.

Oh, babe, I got a message from Carl.

They are going to come over to visit today.

Some of them want to get tattooed, I don't know how many.

-Yeah.

I've got a client on.

I've got a full sleeve that I am working on.

I'm just going to add more today.

But, if I got time, I can help you with that.

-(narrator): Migration in this country began when ancestors of Indigenous Australians from the nearby islands of Southeast Asia and New Guinea migrated to the continent.

After more than 65,000 years of occupation, the country was claimed by Great Britain and permanent European colonization began in 1788.

It was only after World War II that non-Europeans were allowed to enter the country.

Nowadays, nearly one-third of the country's population was born overseas.

♪♪♪ -Three years ago, we decided it was time for us to build a house or move... We were thinking about moving to New Zealand actually.

The studio here, we have invested quite a bit of time and energy into it.

People come to get tattooed for heavy reasons.

So, we try to provide a space where they have a way of expressing their grief or whatever they want to express through the process and leave feeling lighter.

-(narrator): As is customary in his morning routine, Tu blesses his studio with saltwater and sage.

-We try to manage the energy of the studio.

Things like traditional, like Karakiai and Takutaku, which is kind of like an incantation.

I've just become more and more disciplined with maintaining the atmosphere of the studio.

Making sure that it's nice, calm, energetically sound, safe space.

-(narrator): Tu and his wife Ify will both be tattooing clients today.

-I've been doing the traditional art form of Ta moko for around 25 years now.

Six years of that was like, you know, homemade machines and scratching in the back yard.

Until I got picked up by somebody who knew what they were doing and has remained my mentor.

The tradition of Moko for Maori people has had a positive psychiatric effect on our people.

The symbolism that we use in the creation stories and the genealogical stories and the links to the ancestors and the land and all of those things have had a real healing effect on people who are dealing with all sorts of different traumas.

(needle buzzing) -(narrator): The family will attend a traditional training with members of the local Maori community.

The activity allows the children to connect with their roots by learning the dances and songs of their ancestors.

-I was coming regularly to Australia anyway just to tattoo.

And I had a big clientele here all Maori, mostly Maori.

There's such a big population of Maori, here, in the Gold Coast.

There was a phase in my life where I wasn't really connected to my culture until I moved back to New Zealand and I started getting involved in cultural practices.

-(narrator): Maori movement is a modern interpretation that brings together traditional training of warriors and knowledge of the Maori gods also known as Atua.

-Today's session and today's mahi is just going to be about allowing us to go through some simple basic movements that are Atua Maori or that our Maori gods are known for.

-A lot of them have sparked a desire to know more about who they were and where they come from.

So, I encouraged it more and more through my work.

(native language) Well, our culture has a lot of trauma and a lot of our people lived in trauma, lived with trauma, and have trouble dealing with trauma.

As many cultures around the world, I would have presumed, have suffered the same type of stuff.

(speaking in native language) -We're here to protect our people, our culture and to keep that connection.

When someone does the Pukana, you can feel it.

-The Pukana is also about an exchange too.

It's an exchange of love, Aroha Maori.

In everything that you are.

And you exchange that through Moko, you exchange that through Haka and through Waiata.

This is the beauty of Maori, the beauty of the Maori world.

(speaking in native language) -If you don't know your roots, then you're really a wandering soul.

I've seen a lot of that.

I was one of those persons myself.

-(narrator): Turumakina primarily uses the body to express his art but he also enjoys alone time with the canvas.

He is an avid graphic artist.

-I was involved in a Polynesian dance troupe for ten years or so.

So, we would have to draw tattoos on our faces and stuff like that just for the stage.

We got really good at doing that.

I could draw my own face on in about two minutes flat.

(speaking in native language) Eventually, one of my friends that was in the crew with me, turned up to my house one day with a homemade tattoo machine.

He wanted me to tattoo him.

So, I said, "Yeah, let's do it!"

We just had to dig around for scraps basically to see what we could find in terms of the leftover knowledge about Maori tattooing.

Because it had died out during the colonial period when the British turned up on the scene in New Zealand and outlawed tattooing.

Back in those times, you would probably be thrown in jail for a lifetime of labour, hard labour, so the tattooing went underground.

We used to preserve our old people when they died.

We would smoke them.

Sometimes, we would just have the heads of the ancestors preserved.

The British and some of the other Europeans, around in that time had taken a fancy to them.

They began to trade in guns, muskets.

One musket per head.

It was a nail in the coffin, and we lost a lot of that knowledge.

♪♪♪ -(narrator): Within the fast-changing climate, the couple developed their own company: Eco Tattoo Supplies.

-We try to live a sustainable lifestyle in this modern society.

We make the clients aware that they are also getting a guilt-free tattoo.

Because it is powered by the sun indirectly.

At the same time, there's also... The disposables are not harmful to the environment.

At the same time, the inks we use are all vegan.

And so, we try to implement it in every aspect of our life.

From normal everyday life with our kids to our work life.

-Most indigenous cultures on the planet live harmoniously with nature and the modern world has definitely separated us from all of that.

Products like these is what's gonna to help keep this planet back on track.

What's up?

-Hi, Tu!

-(narrator): Tu welcomes his karate sensei for his final tattoo session after 5 years in the making.

Joining them will be Tu's apprentice.

-How's your holidays been, Sensei?

-Yeah, awesome.

-So, we're probably going to... -I've currently been getting work or mahi done with Turumakina for at least five-plus years.

I also teach Turumakina Karate or karaté.

So, it is a teacher/student relationship.

-They look pretty good.

-Puhoro is based off two cultures that mean a lot to me that I was raised with.

Which is Maori, my grandfather, and also Japanese.

In this day and age, a lot of cultures are disappearing.

Turumakina does a fantastic job of keeping the art alive and I intend to do that with what I do with teaching.

So, the two merge together.

That's the Puhoro, my fusion.

-This will be the last session.

You will be all done.

-Oss!

-Only five years in the making.

-Awesome!

(needle buzzing) -You see different state of water.

-For me, personally, I like to prepare at least a week and half out before getting tattooed with my Puhoro.

Stretching, meditation and just get connected mentally, physically and also spiritually.

I want to be able to come and enjoy the experience and relax.

I think the mahi or the work will be far more beautiful if I'm relaxed and not squirming too much and I won't get in trouble from Tu.

(needle buzzing) -I approached Tu for... some help really.

I haven't actually physically started tattooing yet.

I have been waiting for the A-OK from boss over here but it's good because I like that sense of direction.

You come in here and he's got libraries and the vibe, it's always zen.

I see qualities in him that I strive for in my own realities.

-Carl, you've gotten skinnier.

-Yeah, I've noticed it.

(indistinct chatter) -All done, Sensei!

-Nice to meet you too.

Thanks.

-For me, the Puhoro represents spiritual growing and always to try and be a better person and constantly trying to earn it.

As well as represent my family or my Whanau.

I still remember all the elements that have gone into it and to finish off with the wave, it means a lot to me.

-Alright man, let's have a look to see what you've been up to.

-(narrator): Kimiora has spent hours upon hours perfecting his own Maori-inspired hand drawings.

-So, this piece in particular represented the wholeness of everything.

This piece here represents a Hapu woman and the Tane.

But also represents just that guidance and protection.

-It balances really nice.

Yeah, like I said, I think you are ready for the machine.

You are ready to take that next plunge into the... skin work.

So... this is now yours.

Inkjecta Nano.

-What an honour!

Thank you very much.

You might need to get business card going and that sort of thing because for supply reasons you'll have to say that you're with us and the studio.

So, you're good to go man.

-(narrator): Despite their busy lifestyle, the family cherishes time spent alone together at home.

-We get invited to quite a few places to tattoo at different conventions and things like that.

So, we do travel quite a lot.

At the same time, if the kids are at home, our heart's always at home.

So it's tough leaving.

Three weeks maximum and we got to get back to our kids.

It's a tough one to negotiate.

As an artist, we're pretty blessed to be able to travel around and take our art form to many countries around the world.

It is quite uncanny because a lot of people know what Moko is and where it is from.

It is quite well known in the tattoo world.

-(narrator): Many friends have gathered at Tu's home to celebrate and discuss how their tattoos have affected their lifestyles and how the whole process has brought them all together.

-You just can't go anywhere without people staring at you.

Especially because they are like... The least that I can do to represent myself as a Maori is to put it right on my face.

And now, no matter where I go, people will always know, like, yeah, you're a Maori.

-All the time, children are always staring at me like this.

-(Stevie): Yeah!

-Looking at me like... what is that?

(laughter) -He goes behind his dad like this and he goes: "Dad, look there's a pirate."

(laughter) -For her, she only knows us like this, for the baby that I am carrying at the moment.

She will only know us like this and so, they can look up to us.

One day say, "I want to be like you."

Instead of Kim Kardashian or whoever is out there.

So, they can look at us and think: "Aww..." And you're always ready, you don't need a lipstick.

(laughter) -Literally, it just taught me to remember who I am so that nothing affects me when I leave the home.

-To wear this... it's only been about a month, but I feel so proud as a woman, as a human being, as a spiritual being, as a mother, as a daughter, as a wife.

I feel empowered... I feel like I am doing this for myself, for my children, for the ones before me and the ones after me.

-When your time is right, you know your time is right.

We will always support any (native word) that we can... To the tattoos!

(laughter and chatter) -(narrator): Tu has recently begun a tutelage apprenticeship with Keone Nunes in Hawaii.

-The next phase of my tattoo journey is... is to venture back into the traditional Polynesian method of tapping.

Coming from modern machinery to a hand tap traditional tool is like starting again for me.

It is like learning a whole new craft.

Even though the design sense and all that kind of stuff is there.

But, learning how to tap a tattoo onto the face like that, is probably going to take me quite a number of years to master again.

Generally, you're looking at 10,000 hours to master something.

It is going to be a whole new adventure for me.

At some stage, I will have to lay down the modern tools and just focus on the traditional tools, if I'm going to master it properly.

(speaking in native language) -(narrator): The Fingal Peninsula is home to the Minjungbal tribe.

The family is headed to meet their indigenous Australian friends of Bunjalung nation.

(singing in native language) -(narrator): In 1969, there was a land crisis, because the area was considered one of the most valuable for tourism development.

The Indigenous population fought against the encroachment on their lands, and they won.

-I appreciate the welcome.

It's always a heart-touching experience for us and our kids to come back and spend time with you guys on your traditional lands.

-We call our land... (native word) in our language.

That's our mother, the mother connects the children in a lot of ways.

All them stories that come back to this country and they live in this country.

And, we connect to them, their stories.

-Yeah, the recent events, I guess, with the fires, it has created some discussion around indigenous knowledge and that knowledge around fire keeping and keeping the country healthy.

There is still a lot of that knowledge in the country.

-We have studied nature over thousands of years.

You know, we have 500 winds, we have 400 snow.

We have like 500 different calendars back in our country.

So, we've had to adapt to live in our lands.

We are her guardians, we are here to look after her.

-People don't just see Indigenous arts and cultural practices just as a museum piece or art piece or a novelty but as actual... A knowledge that can benefit all of the people, the whole planet.

-All indigenous cultures come from their perspective living in harmony with nature.

So, if the modern system could just move over a little bit and let elders at the table to make some decisions around protecting the land and the waters and the air.

This world would be a much more harmonious place to live.

-The essential part of it is what our people taught us.

If you look after the land, the land will look after you.

If you don't look after the land, then you break the laws and there's consequences.

-(narrator): Despite common misconceptions, the Maori people have only identified as such since the arrival of European immigrants.

At which point the natives felt they had to distinguish themselves through pan-tribal unity.

They chose the word "Maori", which translates quite literally to natural, like pure water.

(singing in native language) One of Tu's traditions includes bottling saltwater and using it for purification in his studio.

♪♪♪ (speaking in native language) Ruatau performs a traditional mirimiri massage before receiving his tattoo.

-We teach traditional Maori healing, so it's the theoretical knowledge of the Maori culture.

It's all of the esoteric knowledge of the ancestors.

We are just trying to really keep that going and keep it alive.

-The thing with esoteric knowledge, it's not by Maori for Maori.

It is universal.

It's just been held sacred from the effects of colonialism.

-(narrator): For Tu, tattoos are more than just art on the body.

-For me, Moko is He Tohu Atua, a symbol from beyond our plane of existence.

He Tohu Rangatira, a symbol of mana or life force.

He Tohu Wairua, a symbol of spirit.

He Tohu Maatauranga, symbol of understanding.

He Tohu Marama, a symbol of enlightenment.

He Tohu Ora, a symbol of life.

(speaking in native language) (speaking in native language) -Moko for me really is a journey of self-discovery.

It was used for purposes of our passage and ceremonial benchmarking of, you know, important events.

The mark of Mataora that is about taking responsibility for yourself and your life and your loved ones and living the life that is a role model for your children and being a respectful person in society.

♪♪♪ -(narrator): As Tu is tracing those final lines, Ruatau is taking in the new energies from the Maori Atua.

-Alright, bro.

That will be us for the night.

(speaking in native language) -He is tattooing mother earth, I can feel her energy coming in and connecting with mine.

Because, every time I get tattooed, my energy changes as they come in.

It's like my whole being reconfigures.

(speaking in native language) -You know, I am honoured that we still have all of these... alive in our culture and it's still being practiced like the art form and the spirituality is still intact, so, I am honoured and blessed to wear these markings.

-That's really the big thing for me, it's just seeing our people reconnecting.

That's what it brings to me, a satisfaction of... being a bridge.

Being a bridge for people to get back to their roots.

That's a really fulfilling thing.

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