Our engraving is a portrait of a familiar character in New Zealand,
chief Mete Kingi, who recently died at the age of one hundred years.
He was a fine specimen of the Maori race, the native New Zealanders, a
branch of the Malayo-Polynesian family. The New Zealanders surpassed
all other people in the art of tattooing, to which their chiefs gave
especial attention. Mete Kingi, as our picture shows, was no exception.
Tattooing on the face they termed _moko_. The men tattoo their faces,
hips, and thighs; the women their upper lips; for this purpose charcoal
made from kauri gum is chiefly used. It has the blue color when pricked
into the skin, growing lighter in shade in the course of years. The
subject of our illustration embraced Christianity, and was much
respected. Our engraving is from the _Illustrated Australian News_.
[Illustration: THE LATE MAORI CHIEF METE KINGI.]
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