Samoan Polynesian Tattoo Designs: Symbol of Courage and Endurance…

Do you know that an attractive group of islands famous for Samoan Polynesian tattoo is scattered around the mystical waters of the Pacific Ocean?  A perfect combination of a beautiful place with rich tradition and adventurous people along with vivid Polynesian tat art existing in Polynesia is worth the admiration of many people worldwide.

A lot of tat enthusiasts anywhere in the world are familiar with the ancient body art of Polynesian tats that has won the hearts of modern people.  In the case of the Samoans, they possess a very traditional kind of culture that is so amazing for the modern world.  They have a lot of unwritten social rules and traditions.  One of these is the sacred tattooing for all people who have reached the maturity age.

If you’re interested in Samoan Polynesian tattoo, here are some important aspects about this popular design for your guidance.  Samoan tat or “Tatau” is made of abstract, intricate and significant motifs as well as patterns that cover a big portion of your body.  The purposes of tats for Samoans include showing the essence of their cultural pride, denoting their status and rank, and identifying their ancestors.

Samoan tattoos consist of Polynesian tat designs that possess a long recorded history of tattooing dating back to time immemorial.  In these modern times, people become interested in authentic tat designs due to the immense popularity of tribal tats.  The Samoans were able to preserve the authenticity of their tattoo designs by way of minimizing the influence of foreign visitors on their culture and tradition.

However, to-date, no one knows how the original Samoan Polynesian tattoo design looks.  A certain story relates that 2 Fijian women came to the island and taught the natives how to pierce the skin with tattoos.  Aside from this, there is also a tale telling that a Samoan was able to enter a place where spirits dwell, and from there, she was able to learn the trade.

The most amazing part of the story about Samoan tats is the way they were embedded passing through a very painful process.  Tattooing was also considered a very significant ritual that marks the transition from adolescence of a person to his adulthood.  It also signifies the granting of a rank or special status to an individual in the society.

The tattooing process of Samoan Polynesian tattoo is performed with dancing and songs by the natives.  It was taboo to stop the procedure in getting the tat when the ritual was complete.  When this thing was done and the tattoo was left unfinished, the reputation of the person concerned was heavily damaged as a coward, and people looked down on him.

Getting a Samoan tat was really a sacrifice during those times, and one needs at least 10 days to endure the procedure.  There were several sessions needed to complete the work with corresponding “day-offs” to allow healing of the skin since a great damage has been done.

Considering that primitive tools such as sharpened animals’ teeth and combs were used to engrave the Samoan Polynesian tattoos compared to the standard needles used today, you can just imagine the big difference in pain.

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When you speak of tattoos in the Samoan culture, they are associated with cultural dignity and pride of the Samoans.  All the natives used to engrave tats on their body, and the designs applied to men were more painful and heavier.  You will notice that the Samoan tat art is commonly prominent in look which covers a wide area of the body.  It is often made with interwoven shapes, solid blocks, bold and symmetrical lines.

The traditional Samoan tattoo designs for males were called “Pe’a,” while the designs applied to females is referred to as “Malu”.  These tats were etched by the tat guru called “Tafuga” using black ink extracted from burnt candlenut shells, along with certain components that possess cultural significance.  When a man reaches the age of puberty, and his skin begins to stretch to some extent, it means he is ready for his first tattoo.

The tattooing process was performed with a ritual accompanied with chanting and songs.  The Pea design for men covered the entire area of the waistline up to the knee.  The motifs utilized for these tats for men were geometrical in shape composed of curved lines, and thin cross beams in black color.  They look like a net especially in the groin area, and applied with leaves of pandanus tree.

The “Tafuga” type of Samoan tattoo designs took at least 10 days to finish the tattooing procedure, involved 5 sessions, and a gap of 1 day was allocated between sessions.  These 5 tattooing sessions were performed step-by-step, with each session applied solely to a particular area on the body.  As an example, the first session may cover the height of the tat design at the back.

This is followed by engraving of designs at the posterior section, abdominal areas, groin, thighs and middle thigh in succeeding sessions.  Usually it took several weeks and even years to have the Pe’a tat designs completed.  In general, Samoan tat designs along with their meanings were decided by the Tafuga or tat expert for each individual.

After the procedure, that was the only time that the hidden meaning of the Samoan tattoo designs embedded on the skin of the male was revealed to him.  The tat meaning depended on the status of the wearer, with corresponding tat pattern applicable, location and other shapes of the design suitable for the person.

One major difference of Samoan tat art compared to other Polynesian tat designs is the lack of circles in the Samoan designs.  Moreover, the traditional Samoan tat designs are limited to the legs, arms and other parts of the body, except the face.  Today, the Samoan tattoo designs include shells, birds, fishes, waves, “kawa” bowl and other significant symbols.

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