Tattoos Protested Colonization

‘Mārama’ Director Details His ‘Rebellious’ Māori Ancestors, Whose Dancing and Tattoos Protested Colonization and Inspired His Revenge Tale

Writer-director Taratoa Stappard is an artist who tells stories of his lineage, and his latest film, “Mārama,” is a tribute to the ancestral women who risked it all to do the same during a much more oppressive time.