Polynesian Tattoo Meanings and Symbols: Reading the Patterns With Respect

When James Cook's expedition reached Tahiti in 1769, the crew wrote down the word tatau for the marks they saw on islanders' skin. It became "tattoo" in English. The practice is much older than that encounter and is still very much alive across Samoa, Tonga, the Marquesas, Tahiti, Hawai'i and Aotearoa New Zealand - each with its own style and rules.

Two things are worth knowing before you choose a design. First, traditional pieces were and are earned: the Samoan pe'a for men, from waist to knees, and the malu for women, on the thighs, are rites of passage applied by hand by a master tattooist. Second, most designs in this guide are Polynesian-inspired tattoos made for people outside those families. That is common and accepted by many artists, but it is a different thing from the tradition itself.

There is no single dictionary, and meanings differ between islands. These are the readings you will meet most often:

• Shark teeth (niho mano): protection, strength and adaptability. Rows of small triangles, often as borders.
• Ocean and waves: life, change, the journey - and, for island peoples, the road between homes.
• Turtle (honu): long life, family and navigation; turtles return to the same beach to lay eggs.
• Spearheads: courage and the warrior; rows of them often read as determination.
• Human figures (enata, Marquesan): people - family, ancestors, sometimes defeated enemies - linked hand to hand.
• Sun: richness, leadership and new beginnings.
• Tiki: a semi-divine ancestor figure, worn for protection.

Ask your artist which tradition each motif comes from. A design that mixes Samoan bands with a Japanese wave and a Maori spiral may look good, but it says nothing in any of those languages.

Many Polynesian artists are glad to tattoo visitors and design Polynesian-inspired pieces for them. What causes offence is copying: taking a design that belongs to someone's family, or reproducing a traditional pe'a, malu or Maori face moko as decoration. The safest path is to work with an artist trained in the tradition - ideally a Polynesian artist - tell them your story, and let them build the design from it instead of bringing a picture from the internet.