Pe'a - tattoo or art?

The Pe'a is the popular name of the traditional male tattoo of Samoa, which was originally called the "Malofie"

The pe'a covers the body from waist to knees. The word tattoo in the English language is believed to have originated from the Samoan word tatau.

The tatau process for the pe'a is extremely painful, and undertaken by Tufuga ta tatau (master tattooists), using handmade tools of bone, tusks, turtle shell and wood. The Tufuga ta tatau are revered masters in Samoan society. In Samoan custom, a pe'a is only done the traditional way, with aspects of cultural ceremony and ritual, and not with European tools or needles. The tufuga ta tatau works with one or two assistants, often apprentice tattooists, who stretch the skin and wipe the excess ink. The process takes place with the subject lying on mats on the floor with the tattooist and assistants beside them. The pe'a can take less than a week to complete or in some cases, years.

The ink colour is black. The tattoo starts on the back and finishes on the belly button. Overall, the design is symmetrical with a pattern consisting mainly of straight lines and larger blocks of dark cover, usually around the thighs. Some art experts have made a comparison between the distinctive Samoan tattoo patterns to other artforms including designs on tapa cloth and Lapitapottery.

Samoan males with a pe'a are called soga'imiti and are respected for their courage. Those who do not complete a pe'a (which can occur due to the extremely painful traditional tools) are called pe'a mutu, a mark of shame. The traditional female tattoo in Samoa is the malu. In Samoan society, the pe'a and the malu are viewed with cultural pride and identity as well as a hallmark of manhood and womanhood.

Tatau is an ancient Polynesian artform which is associated with the rites of passage for men. Pe'a is also the Samoan word for the flying fox (fruit bat, Pteropus samoensis ), and there are many Polynesian myths, proverbs and legends associated with this winged creature. One legend from the island of Savai'i is about Nafanua, Samoa's goddess of war, rescued by flying foxes when she was stranded on an inhospitable island.

In Polynesia, the origins of tattoo is varied. Samoans and Tonga credit Fiji as the source of the tatau, the Fijians credit the Samoans, and the Māori of New Zealand credit the underworld.