Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Hi everyone!

In my blog, I will start by explaining you, how the tattoo (tatau)was brought over to Samoa.

This is an interesting legend.

Taema and Tilafaiga were female siamese twins, who were joined at the spine. However, something strange happened caused the spine to break and set them apart. From the legend, which is passed over from generation to generation, the twin went to Fiji to visit one of their Samoan friend, who lived in the royal family of King Tuifiti. While there, they were taught of tattoing and how to use the tattoing instruments by the Fijian tattoo artists.

When returned to Samoa, they were presented with a gift from the king of Fiji which was a basket or a bag of tattooing instruments.While swimming back home, the twins carefully held onto their precious gift while happily singing a chant. If translated into english, the chant would say, women are tattooed and men are not.

Nevertheless, when they reached Samoa at the coastal waters of Falealupo village, they discovered a huge clam (shellfish) at the bottom of the sea. They both dived to get it, but when they came up, the words of their chant were forgotten and they changed the phrase, women are tattooed and men are not,
into
men are tattooed and women are not.
That is the reason why men have the main tattoo (tatau or pe'a)while women have the minor one(malu).

Important Hints:-: Art of tattoing was brought to Samoa from Fiji.-

: Samoa has this art of tattoing for more than 2000 years.

Anyway, this is the translation of the twins' chant (song) in Samoan and in English, to support this part of my research.

Samoan-

1). Le mafuaaga lenei na iloa
O le taaga o le tatau i Samoa
O le malaga a teine e toalua
Na fe'ausi mai Fiti i le vasaloloa
Na la aumai ai o le ato au
Ma si a la pese e tutumau
Fai mai e tata o fafine
Ae le tata o tane

2). A o le ala na tata ai tane
Ina ua sese si a la pese
Taunuu i gatai o Falealupo
Ua vaaia loa o le faisua ua tele
Totofu ai lea o fafine
Ma ua sui ai si a la pese
Fai mai e tata o tane
Ae le tata o fafine.

English-

1) This is the known origin
Of the permitted tatau in Samoa
The journey of two sisters
Who swam in the ocean from Fiji
They brought with them a basket of the tatau tools
And the song they repeated
It said only the women received the tatau
And the men do not

2). The reason why the men received the tatau
Is the sisters sang their song incorrectly
When they arrived at the coastal waters of Falealupo
They saw a huge clam
They dived for it
And when they came up they sang
It said only the men receive the tatau
And the women do not.

Hope that you are clearly understood with the first part of this research.

Comment if you have something to say.-----Bye for now.

1 comment:

Ji-Eun said...

Wow tattoo has so long and old history! Twins so brave, swam Samoa to Fiji. Then the original tattoo is from Fiji? How about Maori? Does anyone know? I didn’t know that Iran also has one! Tattoo on my skin will be so painful. Do you have it too?