Tatau: A History of Sāmoan Tattooing

Original Abstract

A BEAUTIFULLY DESIGNED AND RICHLY ILLUSTRATED RETELLING OF THE UNIQUE AND POWERFUL HISTORY OF SAMOAN TATTOOING, FROM 3000 YEARS AGO TO MODERN PRACTICES. The Samoan Islands are virtually unique in that tattooing has been continuously practised with indigenous techniques: the full male tattoo, the pe'a has evolved in subtle ways in its design since the nineteenth century, but remains as elaborate, meaningful, and powerful as it ever was. This cultural history is the first publication to examine...