Searching for your identity, Traditional or Modern Tatau (Tattoos)

In “Tatau-ed: Polynesian Tatau in Aotearoa,” by Sean Mallon and Uili Fecteau, they discuss contemporary Pacific Island tattoos in the context of New Zealand, where many islanders are living in the diaspora. In their article, they briefly discuss the importance of “tradition,” saying that some islanders prefer to get their tattoo done in a particular way because it is more “traditional” (p. 4-5).

There are those that emphasize the “pain” as a rite, a ritualistic experience that denotes authenticity for a Samoans receiving a tatau. I’ve personally watched non-Samoans and white people, getting tatted-up, in the traditional way, while at modern day tattoo conventions surrounded by hundreds of non-native spectators. Does that mean that because theyʻve experienced the pain, that they would be given more praise than an actual Samoan whoʻs gotten a tattoo by a machine?

In Alexa Masinaʻs comments on her receiving a tatau by machine, she believes that her way of doing it should be honored as well as the traditional way because as she explains, it is her way of connecting to her traditions but in a contemporary fashion. For many islanders living in the diaspora, doing things in the “traditional way” can be very challenging as most of their cultural connections are not easily available to them.  As they search for their identity as a Pacific Islander, they are faced with the challenges of a modern day islander living in the diaspora, while being cognizant of the health concerns that come with traditional tatau techniques. How then, are modern day islanders able to identify themselves as natives, if their own personal beliefs in tradition and culture, is questioned? Who is the authority that determines what is authentic? How can anything be authentically traditional, when we are all living in a modern world? How can there be a “rebirth” or a renaissance of new ideas, if they are forced to subscribe to old ways of thinking and old techniques and art forms?

As Albert Wendt explains, culture and traditions are ever-changing. If an individual chooses to use a tatau as an outward expression of a cultural tradition, belief, or to tell a story; it should ultimately be up to the individual to define what it means to them personally.  After all, it is their own body and they are the ones choosing whether or not to put it on display. Yes, we have experienced cultural loss, in many ways, but in my opinion it will never be restored to the way it was. If we desire to have a culture that is still alive and thriving, a revival and a rebirth, we must find a way to incorporate the old with the new.