the tātau While skin marking is gaining popularity today, many cultures and peoples throughout history and across the globe have marked and continue to mark their skin. To better understand this practice, what if we went back in time?
It can be argued that the art of tattooing is intrinsically linked to the culture of the islands of the Great Ocean by its etymology. Thus the word tattoo in English comes from Tahitian tātauwhich means mark, draw Where hitWe find the word tātau throughout the Pacific: from Samoa to Tokelau via Aotearoa (NZ). Kaakau will be used in Hawai'i and Taatau to the Tuamotu Islands. Dr. Berchon, translator of Cook's second voyage to Tahiti in 1772, used the word for the first time. tattoo The word was thus Gallicized to "tattoo". And it became the universal word to designate this art.
To better understand the Polynesian worldview, it is important to first understand the meaning of the words: tātau = tattoo, your = instrument for tattooing, striking, writing. Tau = accustomed, experienced, time, era, period, to recite.
The origin of tattooing takes us back to the time of the Gods in the pō, the space of the deities, spirits, and ancestors.
Matamata-Arahu is the inventor of the decorative aspect of tattooing. He is aided by two gods, Tu-Ra'i-Pō and Ti'iti'i-Pō, who are artisans of the god Ta'ere, who is none other than the god of artisans, of supreme skill, the source of all knowledge.
They succeeded in freeing Hina-'Ere'ere-Manu'a who was locked away by her parents, who were none other than the first humans on Earth, Ti'i and Hina. To seduce her, Tu-Ra'i-Pō and Ti'iti'i-Pō showed her the beautiful designs they had painted on their bodies. The young girl fell under their spell and followed them.
Polynesian society is essentially oral, however the tātau could be likened to a form of writing, listing There are as many designs as there are people who wear them, because there are approximately 20,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean, most of which have their own tattoo traditions. A true form of identification, the tātau It testifies to the social rank of the person who wears it, allowing us to know their genealogy, to display their attributes, and to represent the important stages of their life. And depending on the archipelago from which they originated, the tātau had different symbols and meanings. The tātau allowed SO to situate the individual within their space and time.
Long practiced yet abandoned since the beginning of the 19th century, the art of... would not reappear until 1982. tātau in Tahiti, thanks in particular to Tavana Salmon. Surrounded by Samoan tattoo artists, they will showcase this forgotten art during the festival of TiuraiTavana recounts his greatest contribution to culture: “There was a time when no one was tattooed anymore, and I had this dream of reviving tattooing… In ancient times, Tahitians were the most tattooed people in Polynesia, more than the Marquesans, more than the Maori, except that they didn't tattoo their faces. Tahitians tattooed themselves mainly for beauty; they didn't like to see skin without tattoos…”
The unique quality of tātau was its sacred nature, its manaMoreover, certain motifs, such as animals or plants, protected man against the loss of this power. Wearing a tātauIt's about honoring your ancestors. There's always a deep meaning and a story behind every motif. So it's very important to take the time to discuss it with your... tahu'a tātauHis expert tattoo artist will decide whether or not to let you get a particular design, and he will guide you as best he can. Because the tātau It reflects the soul of the one who wears it and also of the one who affixes it.
Bibliographical references:
The Marquesans and their art – Tattooing, by Karl von de Steinen, www.auventdesiles.pf
Farevana'a
Tattoo Valley, www.tahitiheritage.pfwww.hiroa.pf
