Common symbols and their base meanings
Tahitian tattoos are full of meaning, but the meanings are not always what you think. The most commonly recognized symbols have their base meanings in common Polynesian culture.
Sharks are sacred, and shark teeth—called niho mano—are often used to indicate guidance or power. They can also stand for ferocity. Sharks are considered sacred; they are part of the ocean, which is itself sacred.
Enata means “person,” so it is a symbol of an individual. Tiki stands for protector; either a god or a deified ancestor. Manu means bird, and birds are usually associated with travel. Ocean waves and turtles are also commonly seen.
Why meanings change from one tattoo to another
But the meaning of these tattoos was more than decorative. In Polynesia, tattoos were about social status and spiritual protection. A tattoo could show that someone had been to war or had done something great in his life. It could also be a sign of family lineage. Tattoos represented nature, spirituality, and personal achievements.
The same symbol can mean different things, depending on how it is used and where it appears. The meaning of any tattoo changes depending on the artist and the person who wears it. Even if the meaning of a tattoo is clear, it is never fully known from the outside. Only the artist and the wearer know exactly what each symbol means.
Clean designIn 2018 Megan Jones, a Hawaiian tattoo artist, told Smithsonian magazine: “Every single symbol I use has a story behind it.” She explained that while manu means bird, she uses it because “it represents direction in life and guidance” rather than just travel. She says that “manu sits at the center of the Hawaiian star compass.”
She also talks about koru, which comes from Maori origins. Koru means unfurling fern, and is now one of the most popular motifs among Polynesians. While koru means new beginnings and life, Jones explains that she uses it to represent her own journey of self-discovery.
Jones’s Ki’i motif, which is typically protective, stands out because she uses the eye of the ki’i as the mouth, saying it is “a symbol of being able to communicate well.”
In Marquesan tattoo culture, the fiddlehead fern spiral represents the start of new life.
How symbols form a personal story
As Jones says, stories behind tattoos matter just as much as the tattoos themselves. When a friend asked her to make a memorial tattoo for her father, Jones created a tiki holding an enata inside a sun. A tiki is a protector, either a god or a deified ancestor. A mere-like shape suggests that the man was respected and well known. Stepping stones at the base suggest knowledge passed down from father to son. The son is taking the place of his father, who is now gone.
And yet, Jones says, the narrative behind the tattoo is just as important as the symbols themselves.