|
The origin of tattooing in French Polynesia has been
lost in the mists of time and it is likely that it was
already practiced by Polynesian migrants even before
they occupied these islands. However we can state with
some assurance that the aesthetic appeal of tattooing
has existed for this race right from the outset.
Tattooing was a sign of beauty demanded by social custom
and it was considered more important for a man to be
tattooed than for a woman.
The tattooers were
specialists who enjoyed great prestige. They used combs
made of bone or tortoiseshell with sharp teeth fixed on
to a handle. They used to place this instrument on the
skin and force it in by means of a little mallet. Oily
fruit were placed on skewers and burnt to obtain the
soot used for coloring once it had been diluted in
water.
This art was most highly developed and refined in
the Marquesas. A Marquesan could be tattooed all over,
including his face and even his tongue, providing his
rank permitted.
The facial designs were usually limited
to large areas of pigmentation, whereas on the rest of
the body, designs were grouped according to motifs.
These groups were often linked to elements like the sky,
animals, or basket weaving. The sharks' teeth were symbolized
by a series of little triangles, for example.
But the most common motifs were human shapes taken from
the traditional tiki, often isolating eyes, arms or legs.
The tattooers copied from small designs cut into stone
or arms and legs carved in wood, or bamboo, or plates of
wood. The "client", thanks to these samples,
could choose and compose his own decoration. In the
Tuamotus it would appear that only men from a few
western atolls were completely tattooed and women were
adorned with a few very simple lines on their arms and
legs. Triangles and checks whose pattern varied
according to the island of origin, could have been the
distinguishing marks of valiant warriors.
In the Gambier
Islands, tattooing was compulsory for men and in
Mangareva they had a special design. When a boy reached
adolescence, he had a circle tattooed above his armpits
and on his back. As he grew older, the inside of the
circle was progressively darkened, finally leaving a
white cross in the middle.
Tattooing was not so common
in the Australes Islands, but the designs noted were also
typical of that archipelago, since they echoed the
motifs found in their tapa. These were broad horizontal
bands with lacy edges tattooed on the shoulders, sides
and arms.
Tattooing disappeared more rapidly in Tahiti
than elsewhere. It can be identified by its most common
designs, a broken line in the form of a "Z" or the wheel
typical of Eastern Polynesia. These designs could be
plentiful all over the body, but never on the face.
The
wholly tattooed buttocks, so often to be seen in travelers' drawings, were perhaps used to designate
inhabitants from neighboring islands who had become
prisoners and could have been employed for menial tasks.
Today, the desire for cultural identity or other
personal reasons encourage more and more Polynesians to
have themselves tattooed. This art has been practiced for several years now, especially during July
festivities, and as far as possible, is following the
traditions of the past.
|
