Islands of Samoa, AmericanSamoa.travel.
According to Arnold van Gannep, “Thus, although a complete scheme of rites of passage theoretically includes pre-liminal rites (rites of separation), liminal rites (rites of transition), and post liminal rites (rites of incorporation), in specific instances these three types are not always equally important or equally elaborated.” ([1908] 1960, 11) A young Samoan would go through the process of receiving a tatau, separating from their childhood and silly ways. They are transitioning through this coming of age with the endurance of pain in the process, and after, becoming part of the community as an adult. This person have to be willing to become a leader and be of service to the community.
In Tatau and Malu: Vital Signs in Contemporary Samoan Literature, Juniper Ellis writes, “The pain of tatau not only helps create the subject, it also readies the subject for the intricate demands of speaking (oratory in Samoan, for instance, includes a formal or respect language that has as many as five registers, some reserved for specific persons of higher status). Tattooing is part of a process that is more than individual.” (Ellis, 689) Once tattooed, a young Samoan man or woman finally becomes part of the larger community. This also allows the person to become a higher status and grants them ability to be chiefly.
Islands of Samoa, AmericanSamoa.travel.
Along with having this beautiful art and language printed on their bodies, a tatau is also a symbol of maturity and a new way to behave. A young boy or girl makes a commitment to be of service to their community by going through days of pain, blood loss and a transition into adulthood. The choice to go through this is an act that demands a lot of respect from the Samoan community.
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Check out this blog about a man who received his tatau.
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The pain they endure to receive the typical lines, arrows, dots, and other patterns can take up to a week. The designs all consist of similar symbols but are designed by the tufuga, or tattooist. The meaning and importance of the tatau is not only the design on the skin but also the entire ceremony itself. The tattoo artist is thought to be given the skills to tattoo through the divine and a long apprenticeship and to receive a true tatau one must receive it from a tufuga ta tatau. (Galliot, 107) Some of the artists now continue to use the traditional tools used thousands of years ago and very rarely use the tattoo guns.