Caitlyn Adams Anatomy Samoan Tattooing Tattooing in the Samoan culture has been a tradition for an extremely long

time. In fact, the do it by hand technique has continuously been used for over two thousand years. Two Samoan women, Taema and Tilafaiga, were said to have introduced tattooing. The skill remains little unchanged because it gets passed on from generation to generation. They make it priority to preserve their own unique craft. These tattoos often demonstrate a strong feeling the Samoans have for their culture. Although some tattoo designs have changed, they usually all represent similar meanings. Samoans often pay attention to rank and title throughout families. Young chiefs were usually tattooed at the onset of puberty to recognize a key part of their progress into a leadership role. Tattoos left a permanent mark to celebrate endurance and dedication to their traditions. If you refused to get a tattoo you risked that chance of being called a coward or reviled by your Samoan clan. Samoans also risked being marked with shame if the pain was unbearable and they left their tattoo incomplete. Samoans have been tattooing both men and women since it was introduced. Males were typically tattooed between the ages of 14 and 18. However, womens tattoos were typically smaller than mens because of the pain. They mostly got them on their thighs, legs or hands while men got them on their backs or from the mid torso to knees. The process was very painful and often took many days. They used a mallet to tap the teeth of ink-laden comb into the flesh. The larger the comb, the greater area covered. The needle consists of bamboo or light wood. It was such an extravagant process that it took almost a year to completely heal. Everyday tasks were difficult because of the pain. I feel that tattoos are not barbaric or inhumane at all. There are times that people abuse the art of tattooing. I, however, feel that tattooing can be good if they have meaning to them. If it is something important to you then it is okay. What better way to describe yourself than through artwork?