In the mythology of Mangaia in the Cook Islands, Moko is a wily character and grandfather of the heroic Ngaru. (Gill 1876:234). Moko is a ruler or king of the lizards, and he orders his lizard subjects to climb into the basket of the sky demon Amai-te-rangi to spy on him. When Amai-te-rangi pulls up his basket, he is disappointed to find it full of miserable little reptiles, which escape and overrun his home in the sky (Gill 1876:234). Polynesia is a triangle of islands in the Pacific Ocean. ... Mangaia (traditionally known as Anau Enua) is the most southerly of the Cook Islands and the second largest, after Rarotonga. ... In Maori mythology, Ngaru (Wave) was a hero who dared the shark-king, Tumuitearetoka, to attack him. ... In the mythology of Mangaia in the Cook Islands, Amai-te-rangi is a sky demon. ...
References
W.W. Gill, Myths and Songs from the South Pacific (H.S. King: London, 1876).
In the traditional form of moko, teeth or albatross bone was used to carve into the skin and then the dye forced into the cut flesh with a flat edged blade.
Ta Moko was like a history of a person's achievements and represented their status in their tribe.
The Maori have always seen moko as their cultural identity, and the elders are encouraging the resurgence of the art.
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