Do I have to be Samoan to get a Samoan tattoo?

This article is a bonus post in a series called: The Truth about the Samoan Tattoo (tatau)... which has so far sparked so much conversation in the comments section (below). This series is about the history of the tatau, about the cultural significance of the pe'a and malu tattoos, about the practice of receiving the tatau and then honouring its importance to the Samoan way of life.

Here's the whole series:

• The Truth about the Samoan Tattoo (Tatau)

• The Truth about the Samoan Tattoo (Tatau) – Part II

• Do I have to be Samoan to get a Samoan tattoo? [Bonus post]

• The Truth about the Samoan Tattoo (Tatau) - Part III

These articles seem to have encouraged a lot of soul searching amongst readers.

One of the strongest themes in the comments is the question of: who should be allowed to receive a Samoan tatau?

Who is worthy of it? What qualifies us? And, quite specifically.... can I get a Samoan tattoo if I'm not Samoan?

I thought it was worth taking a break from the main articles in this series to try my best to answer this question.

Do I have to be Samoan to get a Samoan tattoo?

Over the years, I have done extensive research on the Samoan tatau. I've interviewed experts and read books and articles... but please note: to answer this question, I can only offer my (educated, thoroughly-pondered) opinion.

I'm so grateful for the opinions that other Samoans have offered in the comments of this series. If you are asking this question:

Do I have to be Samoan to get a Samoan tattoo?

...then I would encourage you to read the rest of this article.

The quick answer:

No. You don't have to be Samoan to get a Samoan tattoo.

It's not difficult to find a tattooist who will take your money for a bit of Samoan looking skin art. It's your body. Do what you want.

Just be prepared for some side glances and disapproval from Samoans who hold our culture — and the art we produce to express our identity — dear to our hearts.

The not so quick answer:

Only two tatau forms are considered truly traditional. These are the malofie (known commonly as the pe'a) for men and the malu for women.

Both these tatau cover a person's thighs, with the pe'a reaching up over a man's hips to his waistline. They are administered by tradesmen (tufuga) who are skilled in the art of tatau, using handmade tools called 'au ta, in a painful procedure that can last hours for the malu and up to several months for the malofie.

Both these tatau have deep cultural significance. What does that mean?

It means the patterns and symbols used tell a story about Samoan people — our traditions and even our family histories.

It means that a man with a pe'a has certain responsibilities in his family or village that un-tattooed men don't. A soga'imiti — an untitled man who has a pe'a — has a higher social status in his community than others, and is given more opportunities to learn correct protocol, history, oratory skills and other intricacies of the fa'asamoa.

In the traditional Samoan village, every young man is expected and encouraged to receive a pe'a as part of his natural progression: from boy to village laborer, to student of the matai (chiefs), to family leader.

The context for the women's tatau — the malu — is not the same, but it still carries a lot of cultural weight. In the old days, only daughters of very high ranking chiefs — especially those who were bestowed a taupou title and danced regularly for village and family events — received a malu.

Today, rules about who can receive it are not the same, but the malu is still a symbol of beauty, grace, strength and commitment to the values of a 'good' Samoan woman. The malu is sexy! But in that regal and virtuous way where sex is sacred, reserved for the sheets (not displayed on the streets).

A Personal Decision

If you do not identify as Samoan, or you have never lived amongst Samoans or have never experienced or accepted our way of life, knowing now what I've just told you about these traditional tatau, why would you even want to get a malu or malofie/pe'a?

Without ties to our culture and family protocol, these tattoos could mean nothing to you but a long ordeal of pain for a little bit of body art. To me, it's kinda like wearing a full army uniform in public and accepting gratitude for service to your country... without ever having enlisted in the military.

Unless you fully (or at least partially) adopt our way of life, you'd be like the singer Madonna with the crucifix - making a mockery of a symbol that Catholics consider sacred. You could be offending the very people you intended to honor with the gesture.

A Compromise

Another branch of Samoan body art has become a lot more prominent in the last few decades. Based on old photos (especially in Krämer's The Samoan Islands) these forms of tatau have been around for a while, but only as decoration because they are never counted as having the kind of cultural significance of tatau.

I mean that you'd never hear a matai or an expert on Samoan culture refer to a Samoan style armband or sleeve or ankle tattoo as having any connection to the social structures in our families or villages.

In fact, my teacher Tanuvasa didn't think much of them at all. He believed that the only Samoans who would get those tattoos instead of a traditional tatau are too cowardly to endure the pain of the malu or the pe'a.

PLEASE NOTE: For those of you (in the comments) getting triggered by the word 'coward' in my teacher's statement above, yes I confess... I included that word in this article for some shock value — but mostly so you could see how strong Tanuvasa's opinion was on the matter.

It's an opinion shared by a lot of our elders who received their own tatau as a test of their endurance and a rite of passage, and also so that they could step up to the cultural responsibilities of a man with a pe'a or woman with a malu.

This was NOT a judgement call about your love or affection for Samoa or about how much you are loved by Samoa.

The statement was a challenge.

So many people around the world want a tatau and we tell them they have to be worthy or we look down on them because they're not Samoan, etc... so for a SAMOAN who DOES have the opportunity and honor of receiving a traditional tatau, Tanuvasa's comment is basically asking, what's stopping you?

That said, these days many Samoans are proud to get armband, ankleband or sleeve tattoos as a declaration of their cultural connections. Sailors and military who served in Samoa would also get these kinds of tattoos as a souvenir of their time there.

Armbands, Leg Bands, Sleeves and Hand Tattoos

Tanuvasa reminded me that when our people dance in big groups for lively celebrations, we often wrap our wrists, upper arms and ankles in the long leaves of our ti trees. Our armband (taulima), anklet, sleeve, etc. tattoos are suggestive of those wrappings, so this tatau practice is similar to the recent trend of tattooing your ring finger instead of wearing a wedding band.

While these tatau are only decorative, they're often very beautiful. Modern tattooists are able to capture the essence of Samoa in these skillful creations, using the patterns found in our malu and malofie, as well as in our siapo and elei (fabric art) and our carvings.

To me, this is the kind of tattoo you get when you want to express your love for Samoa and admiration for our culture, but don't necessarily have the means or the family ties to fully commit to the responsibilities connected with the more traditional tatau.

This is the kind of Samoan tattoo you get when you're not Samoan... or when you're proud of your Samoan heritage but have no intention or opportunity to serve in a village, care for your extended Samoan family or learn our traditions under the tutelage of a high matai.

The Story-time Conclusion

I read a short story / essay ages ago for school. I tried to find it again, but I can't remember a lot of its details, or who wrote it. Maybe you'll recognize it and let me know.

Anyway, it's written from the perspective of a Caucasian lady who was traveling through a poor, third world country either in Africa or Asia. She fell in love with this place, especially with its people, and she wanted to take home a souvenir.

As was usual in this part of the world, she came across a table set up by the side of the road that displayed little home made trinkets for sale. This lady looked through them for the perfect reminder of her time in this country. Then she noticed that the young girl behind the table was wearing a gorgeous, traditional jade (I think) bracelet. Set against her dark skin, it caught the sunlight and shimmered magically, and this lady knew she had to have it.

After only a little persuasion and some money, the girl happily gave this lady the bracelet... and the lady continued on her way, excited about her beautiful new purchase. She slipped it onto her own wrist, and then something happened.

She couldn't understand it at first, but somehow, the bracelet didn't look the same anymore. It didn't sparkle the way it did before. It looked lifeless and bland now.

It took a little while before she realized that much of the beauty in this piece of jewelry came from its setting against the skin of its previous owner. As an expression of that girl's culture, it was a part of her style and identity... and was never going to look quite the same on anyone else.

The Moral of the Story is...

Do you have to be Samoan to get a Samoan tattoo?

No.

Should you be?

You tell me.

This article was first posted in 2014 on our previous website, One Samoana.

Resources

My main source of information for this post is an interview I did with the late Tofaeono Tanuvasa Tavale back in 2010, documented across our entire Tatau Samoa series. I'm also very grateful for the following resources:

• Tatau: From Initiation to Cultural Symbol Supreme, by Unasa L F Va'a

• Tatauing the Post-Colonial Body, by Albert Wendt

• The National Park Services of American Samoa

• Faafaigofieina o Faalupega o Samoa, by Tanuvasa Tavale

• O le Tusi Faalupega o Samoa, by MK Le-Mamea et al