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Tattoo History - Tatau
Tatau
Tatau is the Tahitian word for "to beat wounds" and it designates the traditional act of body decoration on the different island groups of Polynesia.
It is performed with the tatau comb Au which is made from bones and tusks and the Iapalapa, a wooden stick. The Au is placed on the end of a wooden bar and soaked with touche. It then is placed on the skin and rhythmically beaten into the same with the Iapalapa. The Au soaked with touche thereby penetrates the dermis and causes a permanent coloration. The people of Polynesia used greasy grime as color which was extracted from burned kernels and mixed to a smooth paste with coconut oil.
The probably most important impersonator of the traditional tatau was Tofuga.
