Tatu-TattooThe word, "tattoo," is derived from the Tahitian word, "tatu," meaning, " to mark something," The practice of tattooing can be dated back to millions of years ago and over the course of human history tattoos have been used for different things for different cultures.
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Kaka
Kakau, an ancient hawaiian tradition of tattooing, was utilized to depict social rank. Kakau was applied using a hand-tapped technique. This technique involved using a sharp tool pointed against the skin and hitting a wooden stick onto of the sharp tool in order to create small detailed designs onto the body. "It was done by a kahuna, a Hawaiian shaman, with flexible “combs” made from bone and attached to the rib of a palm leaf, and tapped into the skin after dipped into pigments made from soot, vegetable juices or shellfish gall." Kahuna's would chant while applying the tattoo and this had cultural significance to the process. Tattoos in Hawaii were also related to ancestry, (aumankwa) or as a remembrance of the dead.
Samoa
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