Maori tattoo design was once a forgotten and extinct type of design because of what it caused the Maori people long ago. Because of its intricate patterns and truly artistic face designs, Europeans decades ago would sell the heads of the deceased to rich businessmen and collectors for a dear price. However, these so called deceased were more to be decapitated as a result of murder or mass killing. That is why for some time the art of Maori face tattoo died down to stop these senseless deaths.

Today, there has been a clamor for this type of tattoo design. In fact, artists study the aesthetics behind the tattoo to fully capture the essence of the art. It is said that Maori facial tattoos project beauty for the women, and strength and courage for the warrior men. Every single facet in the illustration speak about a person's life; its family, way of life, values, and ideologies. There is more to the tattoo than simply its physical projection. It is more of expressing the kind of person one is based on his or her tattoo.

The Ta Moko, the name for the Maori tattoo, is not merely inked on ones skin but with the Maori people they were chiseled. Current tattoo enthusiasts choose to have them plainly inked in their skins for as long as it appears close to the olden and original Ta Moko. The Women before would only have tattoos on their lips, chin, and nose, While the men would practically cover their whole face. Some would also have full body tattoos.

Now, these tattoos are mostly engraved on the arms, backs, legs, and chests. In some aspects, the way that people revive the Maori tattoo is because of the appreciation of the beauty of the designs. Also, tattoo lovers are showing some form of respect to the Maori culture because of its unique and creative fashion on how to revere beauty, courage, and worthiness as a person. The advantage of enlivening the Ta Moko is also to express that some cultures of the past must not be forgotten and must not die down.