The Pe'a is the name of the traditional male tattoo of Samoa.^[1]

The pe'a covers the body from waist to knees. The word tattoo in the English language is believed to have originated from the Samoan word tatau.

The tatau process for the pe'a is extremely painful, ^[2] and undertaken by Tufuga ta tatau (master tattooists), using hand made tools of bone, tusks, turtle shell and wood. The Tufuga ta tatau are revered masters in Samoan society. In Samoan custom, a pe'a is only done the traditional way, with aspects of cultural ceremony and ritual, and not with European tools or needles. The pe'a can take less than a week to complete or in some cases, years.

The ink colour is black. The tattoo starts on the back and finishes on the belly button. Overall, the design is symmetrical with a pattern consisting mainly of straight lines and larger blocks of dark cover, usually around the thighs.

Samoan males with a pe'a are called soga'imiti and are respected for their courage. Those who do not complete a pe'a (which can occur due to the extremely painful traditional tools) are called pe'a mutu, a mark of shame.^[3] The traditional female tattoo in Samoa is the malu. In Samoan society, the pe'a and the malu are viewed with cultural pride and identity as well as a hallmark of manhood and womanhood.

Tatau is an ancient Polynesian artform which is associated with the rites of passage for men. Pe'a is also the Samoan word for the flying fox (fruit bat, Pteropus samoensis ), and there are many Polynesian myths, proverbs and legends associated with this winged creature.^[4] One legend from the island of Savai'i is about Nafanua, Samoa's goddess of war, rescued by flying foxes when she was stranded on an inhospitable island.^[5]

In Polynesia, the origins of tattoo is varied. Samoans and Tonga credit Fiji as the source of the tatau, the Fijians credit the Samoans, and the Māori of New Zealand credit the underworld.^[6]

In Samoan mythology the origin of the tatau (tattoo) in Samoa is told in a myth about twin sisters Tilafaiga and Taema who swam from Fiti to Samoa with a basket of tattoo tools. As they swam they sang a song which said only women get tattooed. But as they neared the village of Falealupo on the island of Savai'i, they saw a clam underwater and dived down to get it. When they emerged, their song had changed, the lyrics now saying that only men get the tattoo and not women. This song is known in Samoa as the 'Pese o le Pe'a' or 'Pese o le Tatau'.^[7]

The word 'tatau' has many meanings in Samoa. Ta means to strike, and in the case of tattooing, the tap tap sound of the tattooist's wooden tools. Tau means to reach an end, a conclusion, as well as war or battle. Tatau also means rightness or balance. Tatau also means wringing moisture from something. Tata means to strike repeatedly or perform a rhythm. For example, 'tata le ukulele' means 'play the ukulele.'

The tools of the tufunga ta tatau comprise a set of serrated bone combs (au) attached to a turtle shell plate which is connected to the end of a wooden handle, a tapping mallet (sausau), pigment or ink, sponge and water.^[8]

Two extended families in Samoa are well known for being tattoo masters. They are the Su'a family from Lefaga and Leulumoega on the island of Upolu, and the Tulou'ena family from the island of Savai'i. ^[9] The late Sua Sulu'ape Paulo II was a well known Samoan tufaga ta tatau in New Zealand. His brother Su'a Suluape Petelo is one of the most respected Samoan master tattooists today.

The traditional art of tattoo in Samoa was suppressed with the arrival of English missionaries and Christianity in the 1830s.^[10]However, this ancient tradition survived colonialism and the knowledge retained by the Tufuga ta tatau.^[11]

An early documentation of the pe'a on film is seen in Moana (1926) directed by American Robert J. Flaherty and filmed in Safune on the island of Savai'i. The film shows the young hero Moana undergoing a tattoo for his pe'a. The tufuga ta tatau in the film was from Asau. 'Moana' which means 'ocean' was one of the first documentaries made in the world.

[edit] Lyrics Pese o le Tatau song

O le mafuaaga lenei ua iloa O le taaga o le tatau i Samoa O le malaga a teine to'alua Na feausi mai Fiti le vasa loloa Na la aumai ai o le atoau ma sia la pese e tutumau Fai mai e tata o fafine Ae le tata o tane A o le ala ua tata ai tane Ina ua sese sia la pese Taunuu i gatai o Falealupo Ua vaaia loa o se faisua ua tele Totofu loa lava o fafine Ma ua sui ai sia la pese Fai mai e tata o tane Ae le tata o fafine Talofa i si tama ua taatia O le tufuga lea ua amatalia Talofa ua tagi aueue Ua oti'otisolo le au tapulutele Sole Sole, ai loto tele O le taaloga a tama tane E ui lava ina tiga tele Ae mulimuli ana ua a fefete O atu motu uma o le Pasefika Ua sili Samoa le ta'taua O le soga'imiti ua savalivali mai Ua fepulafi mai ana faaila Aso faaifo, faamulialiao Faaatualoa, selu faalaufao O le sigano faapea faaulutao Ua ova i le vasalaolao

This is the origin we know Of the tattooing of the tatau in Samoa A journey by two women Who swam from Fiti across the ocean They brought the tattooing kit And their unchanging song That said women were to be tattooed And not men But the reason why men are tattooed Is because their song went wrong Reaching outside Falealupo They saw a giant clam The women dived And changed their song To say men were to be tattooed And not women Pity the youth now lying While the tufuga starts Alas he is crying loudly As the tattooing tool cuts all over Sole, sole, be brave This is the sport of male heirs Despite the enormous pain Afterwards you will swell with pride Of all the countries in the Pacific Samoa is the most famous The sogaimiti walking towards you With his fa'aila glistening Curved lines, motifs like ali Like centipedes, combs like wild bananas Like sigano and spearheads The greatest in the whole world!

[edit] References

1. ^ http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/Theme.aspx?irn=1560
2. ^ http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/samoans/3/1/1
3. ^ [1],Encyclopedia of body adornment, Part 46 By Margo DeMello, p.213
4. ^ [2],Inside out: literature, cultural politics, and identity in the new Pacific by Vilsoni Hereniko, Rob Wilson, p. 402
5. ^ [3], Facing the Pacific: Polynesia and the U.S. imperial imagination by Jeffrey Geiger, p. 155
6. ^ [4]Tattooing the world: Pacific designs in print & skin by Juniper Ellis, p.25
7. ^ [5], Penina uliuli:Contemporary challenges in mental health for Pacific peoples by Philip Culbertson, Margaret Nelson Agee, Cabrini 'Ofa Makasiale, p. 32
8. ^ http://www.oma-online.org/worn_with_pride_04.html
9. ^ http://www.nzepc.auckland.ac.nz/authors/wendt/tatauing.asp
10. ^ [6],Encyclopedia of body adornment By Margo DeMello, p. 234
11. ^ [7]Tattooing the world:Pacific Designs in Print and Skin by Juniper Ellis, p. 23

[edit] External References

• Tatauing the Post-Colonial Body paper by Albert Wendt, Originally published in Span 42-43 (April-October 1996): 15-29
• Tatau song with guitar during female malu tatoo session, Youtube

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