Since there was no writing in early Polynesian culture, they developed the art of tattooing and made it their own. These early emblems were personal and the master tattoo artists did their best to capture the subjects’ personality and identity through their tattoos.

Early Polynesian tattoos also indicated social status, age, genealogy, as well as a tribe member’s rank in the community. Just about everyone in early Polynesian society was expected to have at least a few tattoos.

The practice of tattooing was carried on for centuries before the first European missionaries arrived in the late eighteenth century. Since the Old Testament has prohibitions against marking or marring the body, tattooing was outlawed after the missionaries arrived in Polynesia.

It was not until the end of the twentieth century that the long lost art of tattooing enjoyed a grand revival in Polynesian culture. The people are once again taking pride in their cultural heritage and tattooing is a large part of it.

When they examine the artwork of their ancestors, they are able to learn a great deal about how early Polynesian societies were structured. In fact, many native Polynesians insist on being tattooed with the same tools that their ancestors used centuries ago.

The traditional tattooing kit consists of a comb with needles that are either sharpened animal bone or tortoiseshell and are affixed to a wooden handle. The needles are then daubed in a pigment that is concocted from burnt candlenut mixed with oil.

Next the needles are put on the skin and the wooden handle is tapped with a stick, which causes the needles to penetrate the skin and inject the pigment. As you might already know, the name “tatau” later “tattoo” is derived from the steady tapping sound of the wood.

One of the reasons why tattooing is still such an important tradition for the Polynesian people is because it was formerly a religious ritual. Instead of being branded by highly trained artists and artisans, the first tattoo artists were shamans.

Not only were the shamans gifted and well-trained artists in their own right, but they also had an intimate understanding of the meaning of every Polynesian tattoo design or emblem.

But the early shamans did not rely on the stars or wild prognostications when choosing the right tattoo for a person. The designs and their placement on the body were determined by a person’s family, status in the community and his or her individual accomplishments.

Before anyone could be tattooed by a shaman, he or she would have to submit themselves to a cleansing period. Usually this process involved fasting for a few days and also abstaining from sexual congress or contact with the opposite sex.

In ancient Polynesia, tattooing began in early adolescence. As soon as a boy reached the age of 12 he was immediately tattooed to mark his passage from childhood to adulthood.

Generally speaking, the more tattoos a man had, the more status or prestige he had in his tribe.

As a result, the chiefs and great warriors of the tribe were the ones with the most intricate and elaborate tattoos. Men whose bodies were unmarked were often distrusted and considered outsiders.

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