A New Zealand woman has been accused of cultural appropriation for getting a traditional face tattoo usually reserved for Maori people. The tattoo in question is a Moko which is on the chin of the person in question. 

The moko is a sacred marker of the wearer's genealogy and heritage reports the BBC. The wearer, in this case, Sally Anderson, has caused huge debate in New Zealand as she has no Maori bloodline yet has the sacred tattoo. 

Anderson who is married to a Maori man, says her moko symbolises her personal struggles and life story.

However, some Maori people have called her out for appropriating Maori culture for personal gain. According to the BBC one expert said "We have to protect the last bastions that we have as Maori to make us different." 

A moko is a sacred carving into the skin, unlike a tattoo, it is administered with a chisel-like instrument. 

In Maori culture facial tattoos - moko kauae - are of particular importance. Men's moko tend to cover their entire face, while the women's cover the chin. 

"Maori regard the face or the head as particularly sacred," says Mera Lee-Penehira, associate professor at Te Share Wānanga o Awanuiārangi.

Maori tattoo artist Inia Taylor gave Anderson the Moko a few years ago. He originally had "strong reservations" about it, but then realised that the only thing stopping him was the issue of race so went ahead with the procedure. 

He has since backtracked slightly and feels that she is using her tattoo as a way of promoting her life coaching business. 

Anderson has been quoted as saying it symbolises what she has gone through in life, including a violent gang rape in her youth.  The simple design "explains the transformative work that Sally does," said a statement on her website.

In light of the cultural appropriation allegations, she has since removed the reference to her tattoo from the website, however, photos of her remain.

Artist Ngaahina Hohaia, who has a master’s degree in Maori visual arts from Massey University and herself has a moko kauae, hit out at Ms Anderson’s tattoo. 

On Facebook, she begged Maori moko artists not to tattoo non-Maoris with the traditional patterns.  “Don’t defile our taonga tuku iho (cultural property) ... don’t take what belongs to our women by birthright of whakapapa (Maori identity) and give it to Pakeha (white New Zealander).

There is a clear divide between the two camps with some Maori's believing it is positive and some believing it's not, but what do you think?