Pasifika tatau talanoa...

Participants in the tatau talanoa discussion

Yesterday evening, I attended a very interesting discussion hosted by the Pacific Peoples Advisory Panel (of which I'm a member) in association with the Mangere Otahuhu and Otara-Papatoetoe local boards inviting Pacific communities to discuss tatau and the Health and Hygiene bylaw review which occurs every 5 years.

Tatau known as tattooing has been a very important part of Samoan culture despite the waning in many Pacific cultures of indigenous tattooing practices due to early missionaries and other western influences saying that it was a 'heathen' practice and 'natives' needed to be refrained from doing so.

Samoans still continued to practice this very special rite of passage, identification marks that were very tapu (taboo) in nature that brings together gafa (genealogy), Samoan spirituality, aiga (family) etc. So that the discussion despite being able the bylaws review was also very pertinent as with the recent rise in interest in the tatau for our younger generations.

Many subjects were discussed and as an indigenous researcher it was interesting to gauge the themes and varying perspectives that were being discussed from the ardent traditionalist to the younger tufuga ta tatau (Samoan indigenous tattoo master) and the younger generation of Samoans who were considering whether to go under the 'tapping' to get their 'markings' of tattoos traditionally or with electrically.

I definitely came out of that discussion wiser, more aware of some of the worldviews and things at stake. Many questions were asked including whether traditional ta tatau (tattooing artists) should/would/could be licensed and subject to inspections, that tatau was essentially tapu and should such an activity be subject to regulation outside what traditional ta tatau are already doing and has been passed down for centuries.

I was definitely an interesting subject for our eldest to listen to in deciding someday to also seek the services of a ta tatau...