Mau Moko

The

POLYNESIAN TATTOO Handbook
spear heads motif
the warrior, courage valiance, fighting for your beliefs

PRACTICAL GUIDE TO CREATING MEANINGFUL POLYNESIAN TATTOOS

shark teeth motifprotection on water, strength, adaptability

The POLYNESIAN TATTOO Handbook

TattooTribes.com
2011

T a ble o f c o n t e n t s

1

FOREWORD

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P LA C E ME N T O N T H E BO D Yp. 12 p. 20 p. 68 p. 86 p. 122 p. 136 p. 154

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S y mbo ls a n d me a n i n g s

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QU I C K R E F E R E N C E

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Creation process

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Ba s i c d e s i g n s

A P P E N D I X -MA O R I G R A M C R E A T I O N

BI BLI O G R A P H I C R E F E R E N C E S

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FOREWORD

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FOREWORD

“Mate atu he tetekura, ara mai he tetekura —When a fern frond dies,another will take its place: Life continues in our children.

Polynesia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising of a large grouping

of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southernPacific Ocean, within a triangle that has New Zealand, Hawaii and Easter Island as its corners. The people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are termed Polynesians and they share many similar traitsincluding language, culture and beliefs. Polynesian languages may actually vary slightly from each other, or even a great deal, depending on the distance between the groups of islands and the frequency oftheir contacts. There are some words which are basically the same throughout all Polynesian languages, reflecting the deepest core of all Polynesian cultures. Two emblematic ones are moana (ocean)and mana (spiritual force, energy). It’s interesting to note how similar these two words are and this should not be a surprise once we understand the relation between Polynesian cultures and the ocean.The ocean guarantees life.

“

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P LA C E ME N T O N T H E BO D Y

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P LA C E ME N T O N T H E BO D Y

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Let's see the body in detail:

1. Head
It's our contact to Rangi...