moumoukai

Moumoukai font is one of Māori Fonts’ “Koru Suite” of fonts that use variants of the spiral, fern frond “koru” design motif of the Māori people of New Zealand – which symbolises growth and renewal – as its main internal design structure.

Moumoukai is the name of the sacred mountain of the Rakaipaaka subtribe of the Ngati Kahungunu people of the Hawke’s Bay region of New Zealand.

Moumoukai also means “wasted food” in Te Reo Māori, the Māori language of New Zealand. According to Rakaipaka tribal lore, the mountain was named following a famous incident in the late 18th century when the tribe was under attack and forced to take refuge in the fortified “Pa”, or redoubt, at the summit of the mountain.

Unable to breach the palisades the attacking warriors laid siege to the pa for several weeks (it is said). The pa was so well equipped with food and water, however, that seeing the attackers were starving the defenders of the pa actually threw food and water over the palisades, both as a charitable gesture and to prove they had so much food they could afford to waste it. Grateful but also disheartened, the attackers gave up the siege and returned home.

Moumoukai font utilises the curved variant of the “koru” motif for its internal structure. Moumoukai’s solid variant is ideal for custom, signage, logo and T-shirt design, and its open and infill variants are ideal for glass window signage and tattoo lettering.