Monday, August 5, 2013

Traditional Polynesian Tattooing - TATAU

A  L  O  H  A !
Saturday, I went to the Tattoo Expo.
Here is a contemporary tattooing scene,
see the tattoo guns
 in the artists' hands?


I specifically went to observe
traditional Polynesian Tatau methods.
Tatau refers to the sound of tapping.

 "The word "tattoo" was brought to Europe 
by the explorer James Cook,
 when he returned in 1771
 from his first voyage to Tahiti and New Zealand.
 In his narrative of the voyage,
 he refers to an operation called "tattaw" 

(Play Da Song)



These ladies are doing traditional tattooing 
without machines










She is tapping the inked "comb"
with a tapping stick. Tap. . . Tap. . .
Tap. . . .








Gloves and sanitary rules are in effect,
and see, her comb is metal!










This artist is doing Samoan Tattooing.
See the movement-






click on his card










The tapping stick
 is ghostly in this shot








Keone Nunes has breathed new life
 into the Hawaiian Tattoo.
His tribal patterns MEAN something,
 honoring his
ancestors and culture.








Concentration








His hand tools look 
much as they might have
in pre-contact Hawaii









Polynesian Tattooing
 takes a "village"














Some folks had more fun
 than others.



Hear and see some action:




THANKS for Visiting!
Leave a comment :0
                                                                   cloudia
at

26 comments:

  1. the walking manAugust 5, 2013 at 6:30 AM

    With there being almost as many Tattooing shops around here as there are liquor stores the art of it has become fairly passe to my eyes.

    ReplyDelete
  2. FireblossomAugust 5, 2013 at 6:35 AM

    Um...ow!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Joop ZandAugust 5, 2013 at 6:49 AM

    These guy's are great artist.....i like that movie and the music....it's a great post Cloudia.

    Greetings from Holland, Joop

    ReplyDelete
  4. eViL pOp TaRtAugust 5, 2013 at 8:03 AM

    A very interesting post about this traditional practice. Thanks Cloudia!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Brian MillerAugust 5, 2013 at 8:08 AM

    wow, truly fascinating...particularly the cultural traditions and the staying near them over modernizing....

    aloha from va

    ReplyDelete
  6. 黄清华 Wong Ching WahAugust 5, 2013 at 8:32 AM

    Is it sacrifice for art

    ReplyDelete
  7. DeniseinVAAugust 5, 2013 at 9:05 AM

    Fascinating! I would have liked to see all that going on.

    ReplyDelete
  8. AdamAugust 5, 2013 at 9:19 AM

    I could never get one

    ReplyDelete
  9. TexWisGirlAugust 5, 2013 at 9:34 AM

    beautiful, and truly a talent, but not for me. :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. LeoviAugust 5, 2013 at 9:38 AM

    Yes, pretty pictures, a way to represent the art!

    ReplyDelete
  11. DarylAugust 5, 2013 at 10:03 AM

    l i can say is ouch

    ReplyDelete
  12. PerthDailyPhotoAugust 5, 2013 at 10:15 AM

    I wonder if it hurts as much as the 'gun' method ? So very interesting to see the traditional methods, such a big tattoo. I have a really small tat, that was bad enough :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. 21 WitsAugust 5, 2013 at 10:50 AM

    Art for sure, more importantly, truly a deep form of meaning is linked with each tattoo for all of my children, and their spouses, yet not for my body. Although, I stand behind each memory and reason that is bestowed upon the bodies within family!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Myrna R.August 5, 2013 at 10:50 AM

    When I went to Hawaii I was flabbergasted when my husband walked into a tattoo parlor and actually got a tattoo. He was so happy to discover he was NOT their oldest client. No matter how long we're with someone, they can still surprise us.
    I've learned to appreciate the art more too.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Geraldine August 5, 2013 at 12:00 PM

    Ouch...I'm not a tattoo fan but some of those are works of art! And what an interesting technique.

    Where we live in BC, the majority of people have tattoos. I'm in the minority and it's gonna stay that way. LOL

    ReplyDelete
  16. Charles GramlichAugust 5, 2013 at 12:29 PM

    Great detail on these pics. I just never really found a tat I wanted to live with all my life. I count my scars as tats.

    ReplyDelete
  17. CloudiaAugust 5, 2013 at 12:39 PM

    I love each of your comments! Thanks-

    So much :-)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Frank BaronAugust 5, 2013 at 12:56 PM

    I've never been a fan of tattoos but I can appreciate the art behind it. This looks like it might be less painful in some ways but more labour-intensive. Fine post.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Frank BaronAugust 5, 2013 at 12:57 PM

    Frank keeps signing me out.. that was me.. Hilary. But you probably already knew that. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  20. KayAugust 5, 2013 at 1:06 PM

    Sorry... But I just can't get over the ouch part.

    ReplyDelete
  21. CloudiaAugust 5, 2013 at 3:47 PM

    Thanks, lady-pals:-)

    Yes, I hear that it is less painful. Of course, the full male Samoan tattoo covers a lot of tender skin and takes days and days! Esp before modern gloves and such, infection and accumulated pain made it a true hero's journey to get one.

    ReplyDelete
  22. AnonymousAugust 5, 2013 at 3:50 PM

    I find the tapping version amazing. I think the old spirits squeezed in to your photo of the fast-moving tapper hammer! I'm too scared. DrumMajor

    ReplyDelete
  23. CloudiaAugust 5, 2013 at 10:02 PM

    Yeah, I get emotional looking at this post. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Elephant's ChildAugust 6, 2013 at 12:25 AM

    A good tattoo is a thing of joy and beauty.

    ReplyDelete
  25. kaykualaAugust 6, 2013 at 5:30 AM

    Tattooing made a re-emergence in recent years.I remember during the 'flower revolution' of the 60's but even more now! Thanks for sharing Cloudia!

    Hank

    ReplyDelete
  26. CloudiaAugust 6, 2013 at 6:00 PM

    Thanks you two dears!

    ReplyDelete

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