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Feb 285 min read

THE TALE OF TRADITIONAL TATTOOS.



Nina Treguer & Lilou Hardonnière -

 

I- Introduction: 


Island culture and the art of tattoo:


The art of tattooing, or “tatau” (onomatopoeic word found in many Polynesian languages like in  Tahiti, Sāmoa and Tonga), has been common in the pacific islands for over 2000 years. Simultaneously a cultural, spiritual and utilitarian practice, tattooing varies from island to island as over time recognisable designs and distinct patterns from each island emerged.

Indeed, patterns in Māori tā moko for instance can be read by those who share in the knowledge of the tohunga tā moko, or tattoo expert. These designs can reveal: the iwi (tribe) that the wearer belongs to, who their family is or important milestones in their life; sexual maturity; age and centuries ago,  tattoos were an easy way to trace genealogy and determine someone’s island of origin. According to anthropologist Alfred Gell  (1993), the key takeaway from Polynesian tattooing is that “differences in tattooing were associated with intrinsic differences in rank”. For instance, in Tahitian society, a hui ari’i style tattoo is traditionally reserved for the chieftain. 

Even the tattoo experts themselves hold a significant role in Polynesian society.  The human body is perceived as the spiritual link between the heavens and earth (upper body to spirituality and ancestors and the lower body to the ground), therefore traditional tattoo artists hold a similar social role to priests as tattooing was an act of spiritual importance. 

Still today, Polynesian tattoo artists hold true to the traditional process: Eddy Tata, a Marquesan tattoo artist explains: “I ask clients about themselves, their own story, and what they want their tattoo to represent”. Contrary to recent Western tattooing practices, artists from the Polynesian islands draw their designs by hand, directly onto the skin, instead of working a stencil. Through this process, artists design unique pieces for each wearer- such is the very beauty of traditional tatau.


II- Tattoo, the artistic dimension : 


More than just a beautiful tattoo


There exists two main reasons that encourage someone to get a tattoo : the art or the meaning. Polynesian tattoos have attracted a huge audience in recent decades because of their beautiful, easily recognizable geometrical designs. However, not only are tattoos from the pacific islands intrinsically different from one another, but even the tattooing process is embedded into traditional rituals, from the tools used to the massages performed after. 


Getting a tattoo is “a rite of passage” and one striking feature is the collective dimension of the process. In Samoa, tātatau, the art of tattooing, is done by the tafuga with  two tools : the sausau and the ‘au – a mallet and a comb. Originally, these tools were made from wood or turtle shells but more recently they come from plexiglass due to the banning of turtle shells and wood for this use. The striking of the ‘au into the skin with small movements of the sausau is very painful, which is why the tafuga is accompanied by apprentices. They stretch the skin and place it under the tools in order to soothe the person. Being a stretcher is also the starting point of the learning process because tattooers bear a huge responsibility when passing on the art of their ancestors. 


The Samoan tattoo is called malofie or pe’a for men and malu for women. The same gendered distinction is made in Māori culture, men receiving moko on their face and women moko kauae on their lips and chin. The place of the tattoo is not decided arbitrarily and is instead subject to the will of the tattoo artist. The choices of the tattoo artist are purposeful as each symbol contains narratives relating to identity and origins;  for example, the presence of animals marks the relationship to nature. In fact, being offered the symbol manulua - two birds in Samoan - is a mark of blessing. These hidden meanings are intrinsic to the value of tattoos.


III- Tattoo as political activism : 

 

Polynesian politics: tattoos on trial


At the turn of the 19th century, with the colonisation of Polynesia by European powers (mainly British), came a wave of christianization. Indeed, the Anglican and Christian forces saw the spirituality of Polynesians as pagan practices. Due to their spiritual importance, tattooing practices were quickly in the visor of colonisers: Old-Testament inspired bans almost wiped out the traditional art in islands such as Tahiti or Tonga. 


This ban spread across the Pacific, notably in New Zealand with  the 1907 Suppression Act, which outlawed the practice and teaching of Māori culture, along with the traditional tā moko and moko kauae. In Tonga’s case, King George Taufa'aahau was Christianized in 1831, and officially banned tattooing in 1838-39 in Tonga’s first set of laws, the Vava'u Code. For Sāmoa it was decided by eastern chiefs in the 1860’s to ban the practice of tatau; and under French rule in Tahiti, traditional tattooing was banned by the local Health Ministry in 1986 (only to be legalised again under strict health norms in 2001). 


Hence, by focusing on legal rights, we can say that over time, tattooing has become a political issue, one of indigenous rights and identity politics. However, in the aftermath of WWII, Polynesian nations began to gain independence, such as the pioneer, Sāmoa in 1962. Since around the 1960’s, there have been several indigenous rights movements across Oceania, advocating for Pasifika rights. The main domains of activism concern the rights of language but also tattooing: this is as relevant as ever, notably with Air New Zealand only allowing for the visible wearing of tā moko for any of their employees in 2019, it is clear that more legal action must be taken towards protecting Māori rights.


Every island in the pacific has a unique relationship with its traditional tattoos. For example in Tonga, tattoos are still considered taboo, which is very different to Samoa or New Zealand. This interpretation of the tattoo in Tongan society is due to the arrival of Europeans and missionary work. Appalled by this form of art and using religion and health concerns as justifications, Tongan tattoos got outlawed in 1838 which led to the loss of indigenous knowledge, tattoo history, and in a way Tongan cultural identity. 


However in the late 1990s, a few artists of Samoan origins such as Su’a Sulu’ape Paulo II started a movement to reconnect with Tongan tātatau and rediscover its practices. The movement has steadily grown within the island and there are now Tongan tattoo artists who specialise in this traditional art. The tufunga Terje Koloamatangi is a central figure of this cultural movement : to revive tātatau, he has looked in museums for paintings, listened to oral traditions and read various historical texts. He says that tattoos allow “modern Tongans of the diaspora to reaffirm their indigeneity” and revendicate Tongan past and indigenous culture. This example reveals the importance of individual artists in promoting  cultural protests.


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