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Te Papa Tongarewa

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Sāmoan tatau (tattoo) meanings, stories, tools, and history

Pacific curator Sean Mallon and Sāmoan tatau artists Sulu’ape Steve Looney and Tuigamala Andy Tauafiafi talk about the meanings and history of Sāmoan tattooing.

Watch: Sāmoan tatau (tattoo) history and tools

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Watch: the importance of Samoan tatau

Pacific curator Sean Mallon explains why the painful experience of getting a tattoo is so important in Samoan culture.

Tattooing in the Pacific

Since the 1980s there has been a revival in tattooing across east Polynesia, and interest in Pacific tattoo designs has spread across the world.