Traditionally, Samoan tattoos marked adulthood, which came with special privileges. ... Some women now get the malu to mark life events such as university graduation or a job promotion.

Seeking to visualize that commitment to selfless service, and inspired by a reverence for her culture, in 2017 Sake obtained the Samoan tatau for women — known as “malu” — on her legs ...

Ku’u Kaho’ohanohano, also a tattoo artist at Kanaka Tattoo based in Kona, Hawai’i grew up expressing herself through art and naturally gravitated to drawing Polynesian motifs. Her desire to ...

Women’s tattoos depict such images as: centipedes, birds, plants, shells and hair combs. These icons vary from the male tattoo, but are equally powerful, positive images drawn from life in Samoa.

Samoan tribal tattoos, otherwise known as ‘tatau’, have been an integral part of Samoan culture for more than 3,000 years, and are still considered a rite of passage for young men and women to ...

Polynesian "culture is booming" in women's basketball behind players like Alissa Pili, Te-Hina Paopao, Talia von Oelhoffen and Talana Lepolo.

“Tatau: Marks of Polynesia,” at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles July 30-Jan. 8, looks at the Samoan practice of tattoo and how the patterns and motifs of these works of ...

Su’a Sulu’ape Paulo III, the sixth-generation Samoan hand-tap tattoo master leaning over me, ... My first study had focused on a small sample, mostly women, in Alabama.

Garden Grove's A-Town tattoo shop is one of the only places in the country to offer customers a proper Samoan tatau — a practice dating back generations.

Given how personal Polynesian tattoos can be, it also requires deep trust between the artist and client. Credit: ... and that’s how Samoan women are looked at in the culture,” says Teisina.

Su’a Sulu’ape Paulo III, the sixth-generation Samoan hand-tap tattoo master leaning over me, ... My first study had focused on a small sample, mostly women, in Alabama.