The legacy of Polynesian tatau, the onomatopoeic name for the practice of tattoo, began 3,000 years ago—the designs as diverse as the people who wear them.The Polynesian Triangle includes more ...

A Samoan Army Captain is the first soldier to receive approval to have traditional “tatau” or tattoos on her hands. This move not only honors Captain Isis Sake’s cultural heritage but also ...

The ancient practice of tatau has been at the heart of Pacific societies for more than 2,000 years, but on many islands, the practice was suppressed — now, however, things are changing.

Maui’s tattoos were purposefully designed as narrative exposition rather than a realistic or accurate depiction of tatau. For example, an inked version of Maui lassos the sun on his chest.

Artist Patu Mamatui Tamata sees tatau as a way to connect with the past. (ABC News: Manuarii Bonnefin) Tattooing enjoyed a renaissance in the 1980s with the arrival of the tattoo gun, which made ...

Tatau tattoo (legs and front thighs) The third kind of tattoo that Bam Bam has is a tatau. It can be seen on his legs and on his front thighs.

Tattoo historian Steve Gilbert explains that the word “tattoo” itself is a combination of Marquesan and Samoan words — tatau and tatu — to describe these practices.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Women show off their traditional Samoan thigh tattoos during an opening celebration of the Utah Museum of Fine Arts' newest exhibition, “Tatau: Marks ...

Similarly, “tattoo” can mean a constant rapping sound. In 1996, the reporter Robert D. McFadden wrote in a Metro article that the rain from a weekend storm in New York “hissed like surf ...

The View from My Window: Art historian Peter Brunt looks at the globalisation of Samoan tatau through the lens of documentary photographer Mark Adams The home where I grew up was in Kingsland, a ...