Aloha Kākou,



It's been a long time since I've done a newsletter!  Too long, so here
goes!

ONLINE

There's been quite a number of interesting articles on Pacific tattoo in
recent months.  If you follow me on Facebook you may have seen just a few
of these. I'll provide some links here that aren't on FB.

Very little was documented about Fijian tattoo in early times. Recently
there's been a renewed interest and there is even an entry on Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veiqia. Canterbury University in Christchurch,
NZ had a small exhibition not long ago.  See
https://tinyurl.com/2p8kctup. Both
tattooing and circumcision in Fiji are addressed in a brief article from Fiji
Times, the local newspaper:
https://tinyurl.com/39y3dv7h . A good discussion of Fjian, Tongan and Samoan
tattoo today is online at

https://www.fijitimes.com/significance-of-tattoo/

The world's oldest known tattooing tools were identified by archaeologist
Aaron Deter-Wolf.  These tools were found in 1953 in Tennessee but recently
caught the attention of Deter-Wolf who has researched and published extensively
on ancient tattoo tools,
https://tinyurl.com/3takxb84 Look for Aaron Deter-Wolf''s other articles
online and you'll find quite a few.  Tattoo tools, when initially found in
archaeological sites, are not easily identified as a simple sharpened could be
used for a number of purposes.  It'd not until one examines the tool
closely that ink residue and wear patterns can be seen supporting the
association with tattooing.  See
https://tinyurl.com/46ps9ww3 If this topic is of interest, you might also
enjoy Drawing with Great Needles: Ancient Tattoo Traditions of North America
which is available on Amazon as well as other book seller's sites.

Te Matatini is an incredible Kapa Haka festival held every two years in
Aotearoa (New Zealand). It's the equivalent of the Merrie Monarch hula
competition here in Hawai'i. See
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVGwxHgpgT0 and https://www.maoritelevision.com/shows/te-matatini-herenga-waka-herenga-tangata-2023/a>
Since Te Matatini was this last weekend, you'll find a lot of videos of amazing
kapahaka performances on YouTube.  Just search "Te Matatini".

YYou might have seen in the news that another moai (the monolithic stone
carvings) was recently found on Rapa Nui (Easter Island).   https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-02/new-easter-island-moai-discovered/102046962.
There's another interesting aspect of Rapa Nui culture and history—it is the
only place in the Pacific that had an ancient for of writing. Text was carved
into wooden boards called rongo rongo which are often an inspiration for tattoos
among the Islanders today.  You can see the rongo rongo and read about them
here:
https://imaginarapanui.com/en/rapa-nui-culture/rongorongo//a>  Some good
general information on Rapa Nui can be found at

https://islandheritage.org/intro-to-easter-island/  

There's an article on Rapa Nui tattoos at

https://imaginarapanui.com/en/rapa-nui-culture/rapa-nui-tattoo/#tattoo-in-children
. You can visit Rapa Nui virtually via drone, see

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uld5-MuK1lA and

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dfkop6z8wI

In recent years there's been some great traditionally influenced contemporary
music. The group Matato'a has several CDs and a number of YouTube videos. You
see some of the island sites and hear them here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVAvh0xgx-M ,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXY_Drfz_PU and

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-QPzfjb6v4

The small islands of Rennell and Bellona (or Mungava and Mungiki) are
Polynesian outliers which are geographically and politically within the Solomon
Islands.  They have an interesting history and culture and just got
Christianity in the 1930s.  You may have seen the interview and photos that
link from my website:
http://avaiki.pacificimagery.com/ There's also some great contemporary music
being recorded today with a definite traditional flair,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoiSrLx481A I just bought the CD and in US
dollars, it was under $11.  I urge you to please support these Islanders! 
The unemployment and financial situation there is extremely challenging.  https://kaumaakonga.bandcamp.com/album/taoba
You can also buy it on Amazon but then the artists get next-to-nothing. Buy
direct from an island business!

TRICIA'S TATTOO & TRAVEL SCHEDULE

My next tattoo trip to CA has been delayed slightly, initially due to an
injury in my right shoulder (which is now much improved) but my working space
isn't available until just after Easter.  Good tattoos are worth waiting
for, right?

Here's my upcoming availability & locations

Until Apr 1st: Kaneohe, HI

Apr. 10 - 23rd, Lomis, Sacramento area

Apr. 29th - May 13th, Redondo Beach, Los Angeles area

May 21st on, Kaneohe, HI

Please call me at 808-734-8677 or email me at
tattoo@lava.net if you'd like to schedule
an appointment or even just a consultation. Consultations are free, but a $100.
deposit is required to sign up for a tattoo appointment (unless we're continuing
a piece and you're already signed up, or course). If you are a new client it
will be beneficial to read over both the Schedule & Appointments link and the
FAQ on my website:
www.ThePolynesianTattoo.com

Mahalo,

Tricia