Polynesian Tribal Tattoos - Comparison of Maori and Samoan Tattoos

Polynesian tribal tattoos are made up ofsociety and are usually done of the face, thighs
extremely intricate and detailed designs followingand buttocks. Nowadays, this of course is not the
an ancient art. Some of the most commonusual practice anymore as modern tattoo artists
Polynesian tat art are the Hawaiian, Samoan, Maoriused this early patterns as inspirations. If one
and Aztecs. They each have their own tribalwants an authentic Maori tat theme, he has to
styles that are identifiable to them. In this article,find an artist who specializes in it.
we will be discussing the two most prominentSamoan tattoos are called tatatau with ta which
ones - the Maori and Samoan.means to strike with tatau referring to the line
Maori tattoos have been around for overand motifs that are inked onto the body. They
thousand years and were originally practiced byare characterized by the dense shading and fine
the native Maoris of New Zealand. They are veryparallel-lines combined with several motifs and
distinctive and have their own unique identitygeometric patterns like squares, dots and
compared to its Polynesian counterparts. Theyrectangles. This is very significant to the Samoans
are characterized by individual lines and repetitionas they are symbols to identify their status in the
of certain motifs and designs. They can besociety. They usually covered the large part of
described as essentially curve linear and mostlythe body like the back, legs and arms. They are
based on spirals. The original practice was calleddefinitely an ethnic marker, a true symbol that
moko which is extremely painful as it is done byone is of Samoan heritage and identity to those
carving the skin with chisels instead of beingwho are true to this statement.
punctured. It symbolizes status and rank in the