TOP: Snapchat and NZ Herald.
By Fetty Rara
FOLLOWING protests, Snapchat has removed the Maori tattoo filter feature that previously allowed users to apply them to their photos.
This came in the wake of outcry from New Zealand’s indigenous Maori people who considered the tattoo that was popular on social media as sacred, and accepted as an important marker of the person’s identity.
According to bbc.com, Radio New Zealand had shown images of users also applying filters using labels such as “Maori Face Tattoo” and “Maori” on Instagram.
Snapschat, via a statement on the matter has confirmed that the feature, which it calls ‘lenses’ and a duplicate had been removed from its platform.
‘Lenses’, which uses open-source software Looksery would allow users to modify their looks in real time. It is user-generated and could be shared across platforms.
The Maoris have been practicing the use of ‘moko’ (facial tattoos) as part of its culture for centuries.
Moko is imprinted into the skin using the uhi (special chisels) to indicate the wearer’s unique heritage and genealogy.
There is a difference between moko for men and women. The former running from the forehead to throat, while the latter, from the lips to the chin. No two tattoos are similar in design, but the use of the filter by Snapchat had allowed for the same design to be used by many users, and this is taboo to the Maoris.
-BTS Media
