How painful are Samoan tattoos?

How painful are Samoan tattoos?

The male tattoo, or pe’a, starts at the torso, covers the front and back, and finishes at the knees. Samoan tattooing can be very painful and those who cannot finish are labeled a coward, said tattoo artist Li’aifva Imo Leni, among the few Samoans who still practice the traditional art.

What does tattoo in Samoan mean?

What Are Tatau? Meaning ‘tattoo’, tatau is one of the many words meaning tattoo in the Samoan language. For example, the word ‘pe’a’ means ‘male tattoo’ and often refers to the dark charcoal-colored ink on the tatau. The word for female tattoo is ‘malu’, which also means to be protected. Pe’a & Malu.

How long does it take to get a tatau?

The design is typically geometric, covering the body from torso to knees and consisting mainly of straight lines with larger areas of solid dye. Originally, the tatau process took several months up to one year to complete. This process allowed the individual time to heal between sessions before continuing.

How long does it take to get the Samoan tatau?

Traditionally, this process takes five days (although often it can take weeks) and is extraordinarily painful: rudimentary combs of different sizes, each made up of razor-sharp teeth attached to a turtle shell attached at a right angle to a stick, are repeatedly dipped into ink and tapped into the skin using a mallet.

Is it disrespectful to get a Polynesian tattoo?

Plain copying someone else’s tattoo is always disrespectful, because you are stealing their own story. Creating a Polynesian tattoo that tells your own story and being able to say what it represents, shows that you acknowledge and respect the importance of such tattoo and therefore it is not seen as disrespectful.

Why are Polynesian tattoos black?

For centuries, the tools used to create these unique pieces of tattoo art did not change. Polynesians used the materials nature offered. The black color of the tattoo could be made from the soot of burnt coconut shells. The tools to puncture the skin used bone, animal teeth, shell, bird beaks or fish bone.

Is it offensive to get a Samoan tattoo?

Originally Answered: Is it considered disrespectful for a non Samoan person to get a Samoan tattoo? The general consensus is that so long as you intend no disrespect it’s not disrespectful.

Is a tattoo an open wound?

Your fresh tattoo is considered an open wound. Like all wounds, it will scab over as a natural healing response. A properly healed tattoo should not scar.

How much does a tatau cost?

Others said the annual licensing fee, at a cost of $386, was just a revenue-gathering exercise by the council. A key difference for Samoa tatau is that it is often done in residential homes, and many tufuga who perform it actually travel from Samoa to do it in New Zealand before flying home again.

Do Samoans tattoo their genitals?

The traditional pattern covered every portion of skin, even the genitals and buttocks, in straight lines, angles and geometric shapes all in black. Male Samoan tattoo patterns do not include circular or curved lines, but the females might.

Do Samoan men tattoo their genitals?

Are Samoan tattoos disrespectful?

How are Samoan tattoos done?

Samoan tattoos are done with a tattoo comb that is put on the end of the stick. That stick is then dipped into the ink. The comb gets placed against the skin of the person and this is where the fun starts. The worthy man that gets the tattoo has the artist hitting the stick with a mallet to literally force the ink into the skin.

What is tatau tattooing?

The tatau meaning “to mark” is a longstanding traditional Samoan practice. For men, it is the pe’a, dense tattooing which completely covers the lower body from waist to knee.

What does a Samoan tattoo with turtle shells mean?

When it comes to the Samoan tattoo you will often see turtle shells in them. Each symbol in the tattoo can have four or five meanings and that what makes them so cool and honorable. The turtle shells have a special meaning and that includes longevity, fertility, peace or wellness.

What makes Samoan tatau so special?

And the pain that was also endured by generations of Samoan ancestors before them, brings the recipient closer to them and creates an inseparable bond between him or her and their culture. Samoan traditional tatau include the pe’a (PEH-ah) for men and the malu (MAH-loo) for women.