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The origin of tattooing in French Polynesia has
been lost in the mists of time and it is likely that it was already
practiced by Polynesian migrants even before they occupied these islands.
However we can state with some assurance that the aesthetic appeal of
tattooing has existed for this race right from the outset. Tattooing was a sign of beauty demanded by social
custom and it was considered more important for a man to be tattooed than
for a woman.
The tattooers were specialists who enjoyed great
prestige. They used combs made of bone or tortoiseshell with sharp teeth
fixed on to a handle. They used to place this instrument on the skin and
force it in by means of a little mallet. Oily fruit were placed on skewers
and burnt to obtain the soot used for coloring once it had been diluted in
water.
This art was most highly developed and refined in
the Marquesas. A Marquesan could be tattooed all over, including his face
and even his tongue, providing his rank permitted.
The facial designs were usually limited to large
areas of pigmentation, whereas on the rest of the body, designs were
grouped according to motifs. These groups were often linked to elements
like the sky, animals, or basket weaving. The sharks' teeth were
symbolized by a series of little triangles, for example.
But the most common motifs were human shapes
taken from the traditional tiki, often isolating eyes, arms or
legs. The tattooers copied from small designs cut into stone or arms and
legs carved in wood, or bamboo, or plates of wood. The "client",
thanks to these samples, could choose and compose his own decoration. In
the Tuamotus it would appear that only men from a few western atolls were
completely tattooed and women were adorned with a few very simple lines on
their arms and legs. Triangles and checks whose pattern varied according
to the island of origin, could have been the distinguishing marks of
valiant warriors.
In the Gambier Islands, tattooing was compulsory
for men and in Mangareva they had a special design. When a boy reached
adolescence, he had a circle tattooed above his armpits and on his back.
As he grew older, the inside of the circle was progressively darkened,
finally leaving a white cross in the middle.
Tattooing was not so common in the Australes
Islands, but the designs noted were also typical of that archipelago,
since they echoed the motifs found in their tapa. These were broad
horizontal bands with lacy edges tattooed on the shoulders, sides and
arms.
Tattooing disappeared more rapidly in Tahiti than
elsewhere. It can be identified by its most common designs, a broken line
in the form of a "Z" or the wheel typical of Eastern Polynesia.
These designs could be plentiful all over the body, but never on the face.
The wholly tattooed buttocks, so often to be seen
in travelers' drawings, were perhaps used to designate inhabitants from
neighboring islands who had become prisoners and could have been employed
for menial tasks.
Today, the desire for
cultural identity or other personal reasons encourage more and more
Polynesians to have themselves tattooed. This art has been practiced for
several years now, especially during July festivities, and as far as
possible, is following the traditions of the past. For
more general information
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