Author(s): Aubrey Gallafent
Mentor(s): Charlotte Poulton
Institution UVU
The spiritual practices of tattoo in Oceania support the current theory of migration for the indigenous people through similarities in tattoo mythology, design, and ritual practices. This paper will trace migration routes from Fiji to Tonga, Samoa, Tahiti, and New Zealand, through the parallel and distinctive aspects of regional tattoo practices. By identifying the cultural markers within regional beliefs and rituals, we can better understand what ties together the history of the islands in the Pacific Ocean. There will be a comparison of the different origin myths for how the spiritual practice of tattoo started on each island. A continued exploration of the religious significance of tattoo in Oceania shows links between tattoo placement and societal standing, as well as the relationship between design motifs and religious beliefs. There will also be an examination of similarities in the technical practices and tools used by master tattooers, and the different ritualistic practices necessary for a tattoo to be successful. An important consideration included in this analysis, is how the process of cultural diffusion, within a slow and continuous migration, affected the divergence of practices and beliefs. The cultural anchors of a shared ancestry that this paper explores, support the theories of migration and will inform the study of the ethnology of precolonial cultures in Oceania. Exploring these aspects of tattoo is important for any study of Oceanic migrations. Tattoo is an important part of identity and culture in each of these islands, which shows the inseparable links that exist between them.