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Christine Harvey

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Christine Harvey
Born
Christchurch, New Zealand
Known forTā moko
Children5

Christine Harvey is a New Zealand tā moko (Māori tattoo) artist and teacher.

Life and career

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Harvey was born in Christchurch. She has both Moriori and Māori heritage, and belongs to the Māori iwi (tribes) of Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri, Te Ātiawa ki Te Tauihu, Ngāti Toa Rangatira, and Kāti Māmoe.[1][2][3][4][5]

Harvey began her career in the mid-1990s;[3] initially she trained as a painter, but became interested in tā moko as a part of her Māori heritage.[6] She was mentored by Māori artist Riki Manuel.[3] The start of her career coincided with a revival of interest in tā moko as an art form and particularly a revival of moko kauae, chin tattoos worn by women.[7] New Zealand news website Stuff has described her as being at the "forefront" of the revival of tā moko.[8]

She has designed and inked traditional tā moko all over New Zealand, and many customers request her work because she is one of few women who practice the art.[3][6][9] She uses modern tools as well as traditional uhi (chisels) carved from bone.[9][8] She was the artist for Ariana Tikao's moko kauae, and Tikao wrote a book about the experience (together with photographs by Matt Calman and Māori language text by Ross Calman) called Mokorua (published by Auckland University Press in 2022).[1][8][2]

Harvey also has some experience in whakairo (traditional Māori carving); in 2021 she was one of eight female Māori artists whose traditional carvings were featured in an online and in-person exhibition held by Toi Māori Aotearoa.[10]

As of 2017 Harvey was also working as an art teacher at Te Kura Whakapūmau Te Reo Tūturu ki Waitaha school in Christchurch.[3] She homeschooled her five children,[4] and one of her daughters is also a tā moko artist.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b Tikao, Ariana; Calman, Matt; Calman, Ross (2022). Mokorua: ngā korero mō tōku moko kauae = my story of moko kauae. Auckland: Auckland University Press. ISBN 978-1-86940-970-8. OCLC 1347428633.
  2. ^ a b "Mokorua: Book launch at Foundation Cafe". Christchurch City Libraries. 8 November 2022. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e Steele, Monique (13 September 2017). "Pioneer female Māori tā moko artist 'born to do it';". The Press. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  4. ^ a b Tumataroa, Phil (5 July 2015). "Te Ao o te Māori". Ngāi Tahu. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  5. ^ a b "Profile of a wahine doing great things in our community". Hawkes Bay Today. 10 May 2021. p. A18. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  6. ^ a b "Skin Stories: The Art and Culture of Polynesian Tattoo". PBS. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  7. ^ Chitham, Karl; Māhina-Tuai, Kolokesa U; Skinner, Damian. Crafting Aotearoa: A cultural history of making in New Zealand and the wider moana Oceania (PDF). Te Papa Press. p. 8. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  8. ^ a b c Newth, Kim (5 November 2022). "Why Ariana Tikao wants you to know exactly how she got her moko kauae". Stuff. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  9. ^ a b "Tā moko: Traditional Maori Tattoo". Canterbury Museum. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  10. ^ Latham, Arihia (21 August 2021). "Te Hīkoi Toi: Flipping the script: contemporary takes on traditional concepts". Stuff. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
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  • Podcast – Tā moko featuring Harvey and others, hosted by the Christchurch City Libraries website, 18 September 2018