Te Kuia Moko is a taonga recording 34 Māori women, all bearing moko kauae (chin tattoos). First published in 1980 as The Blue Privilege, this new printing evidences the books ongoing importance as a record of moko art. Arriving in New Zealand in 1969, Harry Sangl believed that kuia with moko kauae were of a bygone era. But in March 1972 he saw a photograph of a centenarian Māori woman with a moko and set out to find her, reaching her in Ruatoki, near the Urewera ranges. From there he embarked on a three-and-a-half-year journey around New Zealand to paint the last remaining kuia with moko, many of whom were of Ngāi Tuhoe descent. Most of Sangls subjects were born in the nineteenth century, the oldest around 1850. The period of tattooing was approximately from 1885-1940. Biographies of the women are printed substantially as they spoke them, supplemented by essays by Merimeri Penfold and D.R. Simmons. The records are accompanied by black-and-white sketches of the kuias moko -- complementing the beautiful, full colour paintings.
Harry Sangl, born in Prague to German-speaking parents, was a professional artist before emigrating to New Zealand in 1969 and beginning his journey into te Ao Māori. An exhibition of his kuia moko prints was held at Aucklands Depot Artspace in March 2019. Now in his nineties, Harry lives in Auckland.
