Once Were Warriors
Social Studies
‘Once Were Warriors’ is a 1994 New Zealand film directed by Lee Tamahori. It was based on Alan Duff’s 1990 novel. It presents a bleak depiction of Maori culture in modern New Zealand. The film tells the grim and tragic story of the Hekes, a dysfunctional city dwelling Maori family living in South Auckland. The story depicts their problems with the poverty, alcoholism, domestic violence and the horrors of incest experienced in aboriginal cultures – that also manifest among many other cultures around the world. The narrative also touches on the corruption that exists within tribal leadership that keeps communities in poverty and misery. Most of the Heke family’s problems are brought on by the patriarch, Jake which is an anomaly considering that most aboriginal families are broken, with fathers absent or disruptive. Of course the failed socialism of aboriginal cultural dysfunction is blamed on historical colonialism and is now being used as the foundation for globalist programs of sustainable development under United Nations and Globalist U.N.D.R.I.P agreements and agendas. This does not take away from the sanctioned and weaponized suffering of aboriginal people for political ends. It is always encouraging to see oppressed people of any culture or society rise up against their real oppressors.
Tattoo You.
Unique to their culture, Maori tattoos, also known as tā moko, are traditional facial and body markings that hold deep cultural significance for the Māori people of New Zealand. These tattoos are unique to each individual and are informed by their whakapapa (ancestry) and whānau (family). Tā moko is considered a sacred art form, and the process involves carving the skin with uhi (chisels) using natural pigments rather than puncturing it with synthetic dyes as used in modern tattooing. The designs represent mana (status), community standing, abilities, and tribal identity among other things. Ta Moko are meant to strike fear in ones combatants.
Stolen valor is a term for the behavior and actions of military imposters who lie about serving in the military or any roles they may have played in the military to claim virtue or bravery they have not earned. If you have never fought in mortal combat, body art ink won’t entitle you to claim ferocity.
Cultural appropriation is a human behavior that seeks to adopt an element or elements of one culture or identity by members of another culture or identity in a manner perceived as inappropriate or unacknowledged. Such a controversy typically arises when members of a dominant culture borrow from minority cultures. Accusations of cultural appropriation have been weaponized to isolate and silence certain political actions or ideologies. If you are not even remotely, genetically tied to Pacific Islander bloodlines or heritage you are a fraud.
Tattoos have also typically been associated with either soldiers and sailors in the military and navy, musicians or motorcycle and gang and sex trade culture but they have grown increasingly popular over time as a means of hip self-expression or identity. Some see their body art as a private expression of their personality to be shared with their like minded friends. Good for them. Basically, tattoos have been gentrified, made more acceptable, like so many things that were once questionable or unacceptable. Roughly 33% of North Americans have need of enhancing their identity with at least one tattoo. Is it a loss of any real cultural identity that drives people to dress up in costume? Why make it permanent? What if next week you identify as a ‘Tweety Bird’ or a Volkswagen?
The prevalence of tattoos can be attributed to changes in cultural acceptance, the need for self-expression, artistic appreciation, the influence of social media and a need for community and bonding as society becomes more fragmented and tribal. In many cases people choose body art to commemorate life events, relationships or losses. For lack of any other means of communicating or bonding, tattoos speak a disparate language.
While some tattoos and other body art can be quite beautiful in the eye of the beholder and enhance strong and pleasing personalities, the addiction to ink, as well as the ravages of time on skin renders these expressions somewhat less appealing than their youthful expression. Some expressions need no explanation.
Just as red and other dyes as well as food and lifestyle choices pose risks to health, The dyes and chemicals used in the application of tattoos can be harmful. The skin is the largest and most sensitive organ of the human body. What you put on and into it is absorbed and metabolized throughout the body.
A recent Swedish study published in The Lanet’s eClinicalMedicine suggests an increased incidence of malignant lymphoma by 3 to 4 percent over the past forty years. It analyzed data from nearly 12,000 people aged 20 to 60, matched with a control group of the same age and sex without lymphoma. Participants completed questionnaires about lifestyle factors, including tattoos. Researchers found that those with tattoos were more likely to develop malignant lymphoma than were those without tattoos and had a twenty-one percent higher risk of developing any type of lymphoma. People with tattoos had a 21 percent higher risk of developing any type of lymphoma after adjusting for other factors.
The lymphoma risk was highest (81 percent higher) for those who got their first tattoo less than two years before being diagnosed. The risk decreased for those who had gotten their tattoos between three and 10 years ago but increased again (19 percent higher risk) for those who had gotten their first tattoo 11 or more years ago. In the study, larger tattoo size didn’t seem to increase the risk further.
Still want to be a rebel?
Still want heavy metals and dyes under your skin?
Tattoos May Be Linked to Cancer–Here’s Why
“People who ink may be in for more than just body art.” – Epoch Times
https://ecancer.org/en/news/26094-tattoos-may-be-linked-to-an-increased-risk-of-cancer
