"You have to have a certain strength to wear a moko kauae. I also wear this on the inside," the 49-year-old Dunedin woman said.
A University of Otago student, Ms McCallum (Ngai Tahu) decided to get the traditional tattoo after attending a talk by moko artist Rangi Kipa in Dunedin 11 years ago.
The design was inspired by the memory of her parents, who died within three weeks of each other, a year before she decided to get the moko.
"It was a way to commemorate them," she said.
"It was a very cathartic experience."
Only after listening to kaumatua did she decide to go ahead and undergo the 30-minute procedure.
It was a decision she had never regretted.
"The kaumatua told me you don't have to earn your moko kauae - it is a rite of passage. That was what I needed to hear.
"I wore a smile on my face for at least three years after having it done. It still makes me smile," she said.
Ms McCallum said she was not often in situations where she could use her Maori language, and recommended people should use it at every opportunity.
The moko has given her a way to communicate her culture, not only to her community but also the world.
"When I travelled to Hawaii, people came up to me and said 'hi, my Maori cousin'.
"People overseas have been fascinated by it."
In Dunedin, Ms McCallum has had a mixture of reactions, from fascinated babies to admiring older women, and "it is always nice when people ask you about it".
"My children would always walk behind me when we went out to gauge the reaction of people who walked by.
"The biggest reaction I tend to get is not from Pakeha but from other Maori women, who don't know whether I deserve this or not."
The moko has been a life-changing experience, but she recommends people think carefully about before deciding to do it, "because you can't just wash it off in the shower the next day".
"I recommend anyone thinking about it to talk with not only their family but their wider family members, because you have to do it for all the right reasons," she said.
This week is Maori Language Week and the theme for 2008 is Te Reo i te Kainga - Maori Language in the Home.
Today's events include Cafe Reo at Delicacy Cafe, Maori Hill, Dunedin, hosted by Kotahi Mano Kaika, from 10.30am; Maori language video viewing at the Group Screening Room, second floor of the University Central Library from noon; and an open lecture by Prof Peter Crampton, division of Health Sciences on The health of language - the language of health, Archway 3 lecture theatre, University of Otago from 5pm.
