Samoan Tattoo Meaning

Tattoos carry great symbolic importance for Samoans. They signify cultural pride, status, and power. Tattoos like these are truly one-of-a-kind. Each symbol holds a special meaning for its owner – including quadrangular figures, lizards, houses, fish, the sun, and oceanic symbols like shells.

The Pe’a

A pea is a sacred Samoan tattoo for men that extends from waist to knee and represents Samoan culture and values as a powerful symbol of courage and strength. Tattooing can be an excruciatingly painful and time-consuming experience that takes weeks or more to complete, requiring significant patience from you and your spouse. Therefore, having someone present during this journey is crucial and invaluable in sharing this journey.

Customary practice dictates that master tattooists (tufuga ta tatau) work with two assistants known as au toso to assist in stretching skin, wiping away blood, cleaning tools, and providing moral support throughout the process. Traditionally, these women were paid with mats, refined foods, or tapa cloths, but now, most commonly accept cash payments only.

The Malu

Malu tattoos are the traditional female Tattoos in Samoa that cover an area from the knees to the tops of the thighs, serving as a powerful symbol of protection and shelter for its wearer. Tatau also signals a woman’s readiness for adulthood and commitment to her community.

As with the pea, the malu is an essential rite of passage that confers adult status and gives one specific ceremonial duty to the village chief. Although still a necessary symbol of Samoan culture, its requirements are less stringent; women from various backgrounds can now receive this tattoo.

Tatau tattoos are sacred within Samoan culture and represent an emotional experience for recipients. Although sometimes painful, the process requires patience and devotion from its participants to finally complete. Samoan Tattoos are a source of pride among their wearers and their families.

The Pute

The route is a large tattoo covering most of the shoulder blade and upper arm, depicting traditional Samoan symbols like spearheads to represent courage and leadership. As part of the male rite of passage in Samoan culture, this powerful mark signifies tribal history and warrior skills.

Samoan Tattoos were historically seen as a mark of adulthood that came with special privileges. Tatau tradition survived even as Samoans broadly adopted Christianity; Christian missionaries did not fully grasp its religious significance, and island geography further complicated efforts to ban tattooing altogether.

Tatau traditions may endure due to the pride that comes with receiving one, yet this pride can lead to disregard for sanitary practices during its creation – and can expose patients to infection risk; one recent case in New Zealand of Samoan tattoo-associated cellulitis emphasizes this point.

The Va’a

Missionaries attempted to stamp out tattooing traditions across the South Pacific in the 18th and 19th centuries, yet Samoans managed to keep their Tatau tradition alive. Tatau refers to Samoan body markings that carry deep symbolic significance for Samoans – they mark passage through life stages as much as mere decoration.

A pea is an emblem of manhood, symbolizing a warrior’s strength, courage, and skill. Wearing it shows that its wearer can meet any challenge head-on.

Samoan body art stands out from other Tattoos in that it requires much greater skill to harmonize its various symbols and designs, giving a Samoan tattoo its almost jewelry-like aesthetic.