ende

2015
07
Aug

Got our Polynesian Stamps

When the first explorers arrived on the Polynesian islands they were fascinated by the ‘paintings’ the locals had all over their bodies under the skin. The sailors soon got these body decorations too and the Polynesian word ‘tatau’ (or ‘tatu’ in the Marquesas) entered the European vocabulary as tattoo. The missionaries later discouraged tattoos (along with all other forms of traditional culture), but in the… Continue reading »