The coolest teacher ever

Bruce Potts teaches Public Speaking at the University of New Mexico.
After retiring from teaching in public schools, he got this full moko - Maori style face tattoo (although it is not a traditional moko but rather a modern interpretation).
He said it took about three and a half months to complete.
"I have been wanting to do it ever since I was 12 years old," he said. "It's almost like I feel it was a right of passage."
He said he put off getting the tattoos for many years, but the desire to do it kept nagging at him.
"It was like a haunting," he said. "I like to use that word. It was like a haunting. It just kept coming up and I kept resisting, saying, 'no no no,' and it was like a calm once it was finally completed."
He said the work on his face is largely tribal in design, the kind of inking seen on people from Samoa and Fiji. He said he feels a strong connection to the South Pacific and attributes this to a past life as an islander.
Potts has the space below his eyelids inked with what he referred to as "warrior eyeliner ." He said this area was the most painful to get work done on.
He said a few odd stares aside, people seem to like what he has done.
Source: dailylobo.com

Honey moon tattoos

Brandon and Sandra got married in Bora Bora. During their honey moon, they got tattooed by Marama. Click the first photo to read their comments.

Serge too spent his honey moon in Polynesia, but he got tattooed back home in Belgium.

The utmost respect

Mikel, 4 Truths Tattoos, Vancouver, Canada
“I have been tattooing full time since 1997. Currently I work at 4 truths tattoos, an appointment only studio in Gastown, Vancouver Canada. I moved away from street shops about a year ago, to give myself the ability to completely focus on my clients, and their tattoo experience. Its very important to me that the client get all of my attention, and energy, during their appointments. I feel really fortunate that I am able to work with my clients to create the designs that I do. Currently my work is focusing on the different tribal styles from the island cultures of the South Pacific. I approach all of these images with the utmost respect, and hope to continue to learn and grow in this style”.

Painful but no regret

Regis: I live in Montreal and until now there was no tattooist specialized in Polynesian style around. But thanks to Tahititatou.com, I found out that Roonui moved to live here, and I contacted him. He is a reference in Polynesian tattoo.
The encounter with Roonui was very nice, even if when it reached underneath my arm, I wasn’t so talkative any more !! It is a very sensitive part ! It was quite painful but I have no regret !
To be continued in the photo captions - click the first photo above...
 

The dictionary of symbols in Spanish

The dictionary of Polynesian tattoo symbols is now available in Spanish. If you have Spanish friends, pass them the info. The whole site will soon be translated.
In preparation, the German version...

The art of tatau on video clips

Cool video clips on Polynesian tattooing - traditional and modern.

Traditional designs and their meanings

Brotherhood among those who have the same tattoo
Those who have the same tattoo design, or similar, form among themselves a kind of brotherhood and they help each other on occasions, just like our freemasons ; so the choice of the tattoo is an important matter.
Camille de Roquefeuille, Journal d’un voyage autour du monde during the years 1816-1819

Design for warriors on the chest
A breast tattoo composed of a rectangle six inches long by four inches wide (16,2 cm x 10,8 cm). According to ancient portraits, this design is distinctive of warriors and ka’ioi. In Mangareva, only the bravest warriors had their chest tattooed.

The passage to adulthood
At puberty, the young were tattooed « on a very wide area going from around the navel, and loin, until the knees »

As soon as signs of puberty appear, large curved stripes were tattooed on the loin region [lower back]. These were considered as honorary marks, maybe because the capacity to procreate represented a quality.
These arches on men were called awari and on women toto-huwa.
The curves passed on the buttocks ; the wide black stripe underneath each curve was called tuaumarro. It appeared to be some kind of approval to breed.

During the first sessions, the tuhuna would draw « the general lines and main motifs of the tattoo on the legs and the hips, as well as the face ».

On the occasion of his first tattoo, the young man would receive a new name.

The tattooing of the body in “seven days” chronology
The legend of the Marquesan hero Kena, describes the chronology of the tattooing of the entire body in “seven days”. First day, tattooing of the face. Second day, one leg, starting from the foot and going up. Third day, second leg. Fourth day, neck and chest. Fifth day, ribs and arms. Sixth day, the back. Seventh day, buttocks and small additional designs.

The conjugal stamp tattoo
Geiseler (1893) explains that among Pascuans, the young husband would have his wife’s vulva [genitals] tattooed on his chest. Absolutely every chief of a certain age would display this motif, which would be some kind of conjugal stamp. It seems that a parallel can be established with Tahiti, where the motif was tattooed a little after puberty.

For the Marquesas, we learn since 1804 the existence of a mark of love attachment appearing as a plaited ribbon [with checker pattern] tattooed around the arm or the neck, which was called « my little wife ».

Moko (NZ tattoo) comes from lizard
Steinen asserts, « in a Maori text, I found the evidence which was missing until now, according to which the lizard motif was actually tattooed in a realistic manner. It is thus inaccurate », he continues, « to persist in the idea that the name moko (used for “tattoo” in New Zealand) only rests on a comparison with the curved looking motifs which remind the appearance of a lizard. »

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