Polynesian tattoos
Island skin art
Polynesian tattoos are traditional body art from Pacific Island cultures—Hawaiian, Samoan, Maori, Tahitian, and others.
The designs use geometric patterns, lines, and symbols that carry cultural significance, often representing ancestry, social status, or personal history.
The style has become popular worldwide, though cultural appropriation concerns arise when non-Polynesians adopt sacred imagery: He got a Polynesian sleeve tattoo on vacation in Hawaii.
- spiralsCurves circling a center
- bone toolsImplements fashioned from skeletons
- genealogyStudy of family descent
- linesStrokes connecting two points
- identityWho someone is
skin deep · body art · full sleeve · geometric patterns · mallets · black ink · spirituality · triangles · storytelling · rites of passage · tribal affiliation · social hierarchy · heritage preservation · healing rituals · family lineage · ocean waves · sea turtle · celebrity influence
Polynesian tattoostemporary tattoos
Removable body art
henna · mehndi · body paint · face paint · body glitter
Polynesia, poly, polynomial, polygon, polyglot, polymer, polymath, polysyllabic, tattoo