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Untattooed Samoan males are colloquially referred to as telefua or telenoa, literally "naked". Those who begin the tattooing ordeal but do not complete it due to the pain, or more rarely the inability to adequately pay the tattooist, are called Pe'a mutu, a mark of shame. [10] The traditional female tattoo in Samoa is the Malu. In Samoan ...
A Samoan woman with malu. Malu is a word in the Samoan language for a female-specific tattoo of cultural significance. [1] The malu covers the legs from just below the knee to the upper thighs just below the buttocks, and is typically finer and delicate in design compared to the Pe'a, the equivalent tattoo for males.
The traditional culture of Samoa is a communal way of life based on Fa'a Samoa, the unique socio-political culture. In Samoan culture, most activities are done together. The traditional living quarters, or fale (houses), contain no walls and up to 20 people may sleep on the ground in the same fale. During the day, the fale is used for chatting ...
Traditional Samoan tattoo (tatau), pe'a (male tatau), malu (female tatau), demonstrate the strong ties many Samoans feel for their culture. Samoans have practiced the art of tattooing men and women for over 2,000 years. To this day, a man's tattoo extensively covers from mid-back, down the sides and flanks, to the knees.
The traditional male tattoo in Samoa is called the pe'a. The traditional female tattoo is called the malu. The word tattoo is believed to have originated from the Samoan word tatau, coming from Proto-Oceanic *sau₃ referring to a wingbone from a flying fox used as an instrument for the tattooing process. [67]
The dermis is the tissue underneath the outer layer of your skin, called the epidermis. To transfer ink into the dermis, a tattoo artist makes thousands of tiny pricks in the skin.
The word tattoo is believed to have originated from the word tatau. In Samoan mythology the origin of the tatau is told in a legend about two sisters, Tilafaiga and Taema who brought the tools and knowledge of tattooing to Samoa. The Samoan male tattoo (tatau) is the pe'a. The female tatau is the malu.
[13] [14] Women's tattoos on lips and chin are commonly called pūkauae or moko kauae. [15] [16] Men tended to remove facial hair to keep moko fully visible while some chose to grow out their hair. [17] Due to Christian missionaires having a dislike for moko, some men started covering their moko with facial hair.