| REDGIE WALKER-SMALL
Lines of Soul
EMMA DANGERFIELD
17 Sept 2017
Redgie's first newpaper article
While the article didn't quiet use my words, the article is near enough
Kaiapoi tattoo artist Redgie Walker-Small is challenging the belief tourists are cheapening the Māori moko, saying they are actually helping to keep it alive.
Walker-Small specialises in cultural art, but he does not stop at the moko. He loves Celtic and Nordic designs too, and is more than happy to mix the styles and embrace other tribal tattoo forms.
"If there is a new tribal style out there I'm all about jumping on board.
"If I didn't do Celtic and Nordic as well I wouldn't be being true to myself. That's the world we live in now."
Walker-Small does not identify as Māori or Pakeha, his ancestry is a mix of Tokumaru, Tainui and European descent, and believes we are all on the same waka.
"We all have to hold hands at some point, there's a whole lot of people in the world."
Born in Rotorua, Walker-Small has moved around New Zealand as well as Australia. The keen surfer started out as a graphic designer after earning a scholarship to study mutli-media, but the class he enjoyed the most was learning the basics of Māori and Tīkanga.
Being taught by some amazing artists including the late "good soul" Miles Kau Kau and many others gave him inspiration as well as a good understanding of ancestral art.
Swapping the graphic design world for tattoo art was an easy decision and he is in his element helping people along their journey, whether it be to recognise their whakapapa or just "get a pretty tattoo". He is not hung up on tourists going home with a piece of Māori ink. In fact he says the tourist market is keeping it alive, not to mention keeping him and others in a job.
"Some people do worry about our designs being bastardised, but really it's about knowing yourself - everyone should have their own perspective.
"All legends are stories with a little bit of truth so we can challenge the past, and we have to recognise that tradition changes over time."
That being said, there are some things he would keep for iwi, such as rāperāpe and facial moko.
"That's a respect thing for the people before."
Examples of Walker-Small's art can be found on his website, soulwisetattoo.com
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