The Tatau

The Samoan culture consist of many traditions. One of their more popular and proud traditions is the Samoan traditional tattoo. Samoan traditional tattoos are known world wide, as you can see many of the modern day tribal tattoos are based off of the tatau. The Samoan translation for tattoo is tatau, and a prerequisite for becoming a Samoan chief was the receiving of the tatau. The tatau was used to identify ranks and titles in the Samoan community. Only Recently the Samoans wear the tatau as a symbol of pride to their culture.

The process of the tatau deals with excruciating pain and a long duration of time. Tufugas which means tattoo artist in the Samoan language, had been trained since their adolescence in the applying of the tatau. Tufugas spent hours of training on the bark of trees or in the sand of the beach. Boars teeth were tied together to a part of the turtle shell and last connected to a wooden stick. This tool was used by their ancient ancestors and is still the tool of choice for tattooing.

A Samoan man inherits title or rank when a chief or title holder passes away. When a chief or title holder finally passes away, a council of chiefs and high position holders encounter to decipher on who should be the next individual to inherit the title or rank. Once the decision is made, the awa ceremony takes place, in this ceremony the inheritor receives notice of his inheritance and drinks the awa to agree to to the terms of the title or the rank. The awa is a specific root that is pounded to make a powder that is mixed with water. The awa is a drink that is used in meetings of high importance to relax the mind and body.

After the ceremony of the awa, the actual tattoo ceremony comeʻs into play. It is usually done at the home of the inheritor or at a relativeʻs, with a huge home. The attendance includes a few chiefs, family members, good friends, and a man of a high religious position to begin the tattoo ceremony with a prayer. He prays for the inheritorʻs safety and that he may never abuse his title or rank in the future. They sometimes include a guitarist to play music while the new inheritor is being tattooed. Some Samoans say that samoan music helps to ease the pain and also awa is drunk as another way to reduce the pain.

Eventually when itʻs all completed, the tattoo artist and the inheritor are given thanks for a job well done. The participants usually finish off the tattoo ceremony with an eating. Out of the many traditions that samoans have, tattooing is taken very seriously among the samoan culture. It is a way to distinguish superiority in the samoan villages. It is a strong symbol of respect and commitment to the culture. The tatau comes with many responsibilities and important decisions to be made. Many people think of tattoos as a piece of art, but in the samoan culture it is a way of life.