HE HAS BEEN IN AWE OF THE TA MOKO MASTERS OF THE PAST AND THE NEW GENERATION TA MOKO EXPONENTS SO MUCH SO THAT HE HAS FINISHED A 6 YEAR APPRENTICESHIP UNDER THE TUTELAGAE AND GUIDANCE OF ONE OF THE LEADING AND DECORATED ‘TOHUNGA TA MOKO' MR DEREK LARDELLI PRINCIPAL TUTOR OF THE TAIRAWHITI POLTYTECH TOIHOUKURA IN TURANGANUI A KIWA , GISBORNE.

A PROUD SON OF TUWHARETOA RUSSELL HAS BEEN TURNING OUT SOME VERY BEAUTIFUL WORK WITH HIS OWN CLASSIC MARKINGS AND PERSUASIONS.

IT IS WORTHY FOR ALL TO NOTE THAT ALL OF THE TAUIRA UNDER LARDELLI HAVE THE SAME MOTTO OR CODE OF ETHICS THAT THEY WORK UNDER ‘NO WHAKAPAPA, NO MOKO". THIS IS NOT A MARK OF ARROGANCE BUT A ‘DUTY OF CARE' AND RESPONSIBILTY TO THE MASTERS OF THE PAST AND A PATHWAY OF CARE FOR OUR FUTURE TAMARIKI MOKOPUNA WHO HAVE THE RIGHT TO ACCESS THEIR ‘BIRTHRIGHT ‘ OF ‘TRADITIONAL'SPLENDOUR FROM ‘TA MOKO' KAITIAKI SUCH AS RUSSELL.

THIS DOES NOT MEAN THEY WILL NOT WORK ON OTHER NATIONALITIES THEY WILL WORK ON PEOPLES OF ALL CULTURES BUT WILL CREATE A PATTERN PERTAINING TO THAT INDIVIDUALS PARTICULAR CULTURAL BACKGROUND.

LARDELLI HAS GIVEN HIS ‘PERSONAL BLESSING' OVER RUSSELL'S WORK AND THAT TAG DOES NOT COME EASY FROM SOMEONE SO ASTUTE AS DEREK WHO DOES NOT WASTE HIS WORDS OR BESTOWE ON SOMEONE HIS MARK OF APPROVAL WITHOUT FIRST GOING THROUGH RIGOROUS AND ARDUOUS TRAINING.

ALL OF THE ‘TOIHOUKURA' TRAINED TAUIRA UNDER LARDELLI HAVE ALSO A LICENCE OF ‘INDIVIDUAL FREE EXPRESSION' TO EVOLVE THE ART OF ‘TA MOKO' OR LIFT IT TO A HIGHER PLAIN SO TO SPEAK RESULTING IN MAGNIFICENT INDIVIDUAL PIECES OF ARTISTIC WONDERMENT WHICH LEAVES THE RECIPIENTS MESMERIZED AT THE RESULTING WORKS OF BEAUTY. THEY ALL CREATE THESE WORKS HOWEVER FROM A TRADITONAL BASE SO YOU ARE GUARANTEED OF GETTING THE ‘REAL THING'.

I PERSONALLY HAVE NOT HEARD OF ANYONE WHO HAS RECEIVED ANY MOKO FROM ANY OF DEREK'S TAUIRA COMPLAIN THAT THEY WERE NOT HAPPY WITH THEIR PURCHASES, MIND YOU, ONE CAN BE RE-ASSURED THAT BY THE TIME THESE ‘TAUIRA' HAVE FINISHED THEIR TRAINING' THE ‘WISE ONE' IS ALWAYS THERE WATCHING AND GUIDING WITH GRACE, PATIENCE AND UNDERSTANDING THE FUTURE ‘FLAG BEARERS' OF THIS PRESTIGIOUS TAONGA..

RUSSELL WILL BE HERE IN QUEENSLAND FOR A PERIOD OF 2-3 WEEKS AT THIS STAGE AND CAN BE CONTACTED ON PHONE (07) 3808-5058 OR CELL PHONE 0449529419 ASK FOR RUSSELL TO HAVE A KORERO OR MAKE A BOOKING OR CONTACT RUSSELL ON

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MANY RECIPIENTS OUT THERE HAVE RECEIVED WORKS FROM PATRICK TAKOKO ANOTHER TOHUNGA TA MOKO FROM THE ‘LARDELLI HOUSE OF EXCELLENCE' WHO WILL BE BACK FOR ‘MATARIKI 2008 CELEBRATIONS' ON THE 7^TH JUNE AND GISBORNE DAY ON THE 8^TH JUNE WORKING OUT ON BOTH DAYS SO BRISBANE YOU HAVE BEEN VERY BLESSED INDEED.  TO MAKE A BOOKING WITH PATRICK CONTACT HIM ON This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it   or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

"HE MOKO KAHURANGI, HE WHAKAPAPA RANGATIRA"