The Traditional Samoan Tattoo (Tatau)

During my last term break in April, I got a traditional Samoan tattoo (tatau in Samaon). A fellow PCV and I made the decision that we wanted to get our tattoos done together and thought that term break would be the best time because we’d have one week off of work, which would be beneficial for the tattoo and its beginning stages of healing.

Pre-Tattoo

I had just arrived in Apia from Namua Island, and made my way to the tattoo fale (open house) that is located in the city’s cultural center. Unfortunately, no one was at the fale. I decided that I’d return the following day; if no one were there, then getting a tattoo at that time wasn’t meant to me. The next morning I went back. It turns out there were people there! I approached the group of men who were playing cards. One turned to me, so I asked, “Malo, o ai lou igoa?” (Hi, what’s your name?). “Sulu’ape,” was his response. Perfect! Sulu’ape was just who I was looking for. I told him how a friend and I wanted to get a traditional tattoo and asked if he was available that day. He told me to come back the next morning.

So the following morning my friend and I got up early, ate a big breakfast, “Our last meal before we get murdered,” as we put it, then made our way to the fale. Sulu’ape got there right on time, which surprised me because I’m used to island time, which means that Samoans usually don’t arrive to appointments on time. If they show up, it’s often late… hours late. My friend and I explained what we wanted done. I quickly drew a kindergarten type drawing on a scrap piece of paper, which depicted two V like shapes, and told him where I wanted the tattoo placed.

Because my friend lives on the island of Savai’i, we agreed that she would go first because she would have to leave a few hours later to catch the bus to the wharf, to get on the last boat of the day, whereas I live on the main island of Upolu so could leave at anytime because I was taking a taxi back to my village. Frequent readers of this blog may recount posts where I’ve mentioned how uncomfortable buses are here, so getting a tattoo, then sitting on someone’s lap for two hours, while being bumped and touched, gave me a fright. At that moment I didn’t mind paying the $70 tala taxi fare (which is a lot of money here), compared to the $6 tala bus fare.

As I’ve mentioned above, I was planning on getting the tattoo done second, and wasn’t mentally prepared to go for at least 3 hours, after I saw my friend get her tattoo, and knew what I was up against. Then… Sulu’ape looked at me and said “sau” (come). He had me sit in front of him, and began drawing lines on my back. My heart was beating out of my chest, thump, thump, thump. I was visibly shaking and all I could think was, “Oh f!*@, this is really happening,” thump, thump, thump. Sulu’ape saw me shaking and said, “Relax, I haven’t started yet!” My friend Madi was awesome and sat in front of me, instructing breathing practices to calm me down. 

Madi calming me

You may be wondering why I ended up getting the tattoo done first. The reason is because my friend’s tattoo is a lot more complex and curvy, so the outline needed to be done with a tattoo gun. At that moment, the gun was being used on a tourist guy who was getting a half-sleeve tattoo, which was taking a long time to complete. I must add: I felt like a bad ass getting a traditional tattoo, while the male next to me, who is double my size, was getting a tattoo done by a gun. Ha!

The Tattoo

There were several pillows on the floor. I was told to lay stomach down. I could see the bowl of tools ready to tattoo me. The traditional tool is a wooden handle with a stainless steel comb at the end. The stainless steel comb is the part of the tool that tattoos, along with the help of another wooden tool that is used to tap the tool with the comb. This creates a horrid tap, tap, tap sound.

This is a photo I took during my friend's tattoo. Nevertheless, the bowl and tools I've described above are similar. Also, their ink is manufactured.

Sulu’ape dipped a tool in ink and outlined a section of my back by placing ink dots in a row. I could feel the hands of two men stretching my skin. Tap, tap, tap. The tattoo has started. Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap. This went on for 2.5-hours. Throughout the tattoo I counted each tapping session; some last 5 seconds, while others lasted 10 seconds or longer. I was always relieved after each tapping session ended because I experienced a short internal of a few seconds before the tapping started again. Also, these intervals enabled the men who were stretching my skin to wipe off excess ink and blood from my back. The most painful parts of the tattoo were on my spine and my ribs. I could feel the tools sticking to those bones, and was told that my ribs bled the most. Interesting enough, when my ribs were getting tattooed, I was laying on my side. While the ribs were one of the two most painful parts, I actually felt most at peace during this time. Perhaps it was because I was lying on my side, which is a comforting position.

The beginning stages of my tattoo

When the left side of the tattoo was finished, I sat up, and my friend Michelle snapped a photo. I didn’t want to see it until it was all finished. I actually like how the tattoo looks with just bands on one side, so if I’d seen the photo at this point, I would’ve probably told Sulu’ape to stop the tattoo. I’ve mentioned this to some friends who have said that they think my tattoo looks better and complete with bands on each side. 

Halfway finished

At one point, I started talking, telling Sulu’ape the designs I wanted. He told me, “Stop talking, I’ll tell you what the designs mean once I’m finished.” He is such a sassy man. I found his personality quite amusing. I had an idea of the designs I wanted, but as a friend mentioned beforehand: “If you go into a traditional tattoo with a list of expectations, you’ll end up disappointed. It is best to go in and let the tattoo artist do their thing; after all it is an interpretation of their style and work.” So once Sulu’ape practically shut me up, I remembered what my friend said. The designs Sulu’ape put on me mean unity, family, youth, and beauty. How lovely! I couldn’t be any happier with these meanings.

On several occasions Sulu’ape had to tell me to stop moving and stop laughing. That’s right, I was laughing at times because the pain was so unreal; I didn’t know what else to do but laugh. Yes, I laughed but I didn’t cry—I think my body was in such shock, it couldn’t register the torture it was experiencing. The only comparison I can think of: A traditional Samoan tattoo feels like nails getting hammered into your bones.

During one of the intervals, I put my head up remembering that I hadn’t taken the ibuprofen my Peace Corps nurse gave me. I was supposed to take it before the tattoo started but as I’ve explained above, it began so suddenly that the ibuprofen slipped my mind. So I took the tablets about mid-way through. I’m not sure if it helped with the pain; I don’t think anything could’ve helped relieve that terrible pain.

It was quite an experience. Women were fanning me because it was so hot (and to keep the flies away), Sulu’ape and his staff smoked throughout my tattoo (I didn’t know this until I saw photos on my camera. Luckily the ashes didn’t burn me!), and there were drums and other instruments playing traditional Samoan beats in the background. It was a cultural and authentic experience, indeed. The only other thing I remember thinking (besides what my friend said, mentioned above): “This is the most painful experience of my life and I don’t think childbirth could be any worse.” At one point I felt like I needed to vomit and cursed myself for eating such a large breakfast. Also, at times Sulu’ape needed to sit on my legs, which was uncomfortable… and painful. 

Smoking like trains while tattooing me. This by far is my favourite photo taken during my tattoo!

Madi was awesome, lending me her hands and feet to squeeze! Thanks! And thanks to Michelle who rubbed my legs.

Michelle, Becca, and Madi watching my tattoo process. They're members in my group.

 When the tattoo was finished, many of the Samoans who were sitting nearby said “Malo!” (an expression of praise, celebration, etc.).

As I was getting ready to leave, I asked Sulu’ape the price. He jokingly said, “$6,000 tala.” It wasn’t anywhere near that price, but was still a bit expensive. Special thanks to my family in America who helped me pay for it; it was my birthday gift. How kind and awesome of them! Samoans are always curious when they see my tattoo and the first question I usually get asked is: “E fia?” (How much?). Even strangers ask this question. Of course I don’t tell them, saying that my family in America paid for it over the phone with their credit card. Well, this is partially true. While I don’t like lying, if I didn’t tell this white lie, people would think that I have a lot of money (Samoans think all white people are wealthy), and I don’t want to be portrayed like that.

Post-Tattoo

I was in a taxi, on my way home. I was in so much pain. I felt sick to my stomach. The ink stuck to my shirt. I just wanted to get home and go to sleep. Once home, I showered, ate dinner, and then went to bed. Since my tattoo is on my back and ribs, which happens to be the areas of my body I lay on, I had no choice but to sleep on my stomach—a position I find so uncomfortable and painful to my back. But this is how I slept for about two weeks. School started the following week. Teaching attire for women consists of a puletasi, which is a long dress-like outfit. Puletasis are extremely uncomfortable and so hot, so I’m usually covered in sweat by the end of the day. I believe puletasis and sweat are the reasons why my tattoo got infected. Yes, that is right. My tattoo was infected in two areas. I couldn’t understand how this happened because I washed it twice a day everyday, and applied an appropriate treatment to it. After doing some thinking, it had to be the sweat that caused the infections. And the sweat is caused by puletasis and the humidity. Luckily my Peace Corps nurse and a medical student friend of mine said that the infection isn’t as bad as I made it out to be, and my tattoo wouldn’t be permanently damaged. They were right. After applying antibiotic ointment for several days, the infections were healed and the tattoo is fine. The tattoo took about two weeks to heal.

The Tattoo Addition

After doing some thinking, I wasn’t 100% happy with the tattoo. When I explained what I wanted to Sulu’ape, I was so nervous. I said that I wanted V’s so I got V’s. He gave me what I asked for and did a beautiful job, but in reality, I wanted V’s that looked like wings. The endings of each band were so blunt. I wanted them to be curvy, so about two months after my traditional tattoo I contacted Sulu’ape and made an appointment for an addition. He told me to arrive at 9 am. I got to the tattoo fale on time and waited and waited and waited. At about 10:30 am I called him. No answer. I kept waiting. I wanted to get it done. I knew the pain that was to come, and had prepared myself for it; I didn’t want to leave with the tattoo unfinished. At 11:30 am I called him again. He answered. He told me that he would be there at 1:00 pm. Talk about island time! I told him that I couldn’t wait that long because I’d miss the bus (yes, I was riding the bus this time!), so I had no problem getting the addition done by the gun. I had already experienced the hell of a traditional Samoan tattoo; I had no problem getting the addition with a gun so I could compare the pain. He said that his son was at the fale and would do the addition. I found the son and explained what I wanted done. The addition took two-hours! That’s right, two-hours of pure pain, done entirely on my ribs. I don’t know if the gun hurt more (at the time I thought it did), but it was horrible; it was a different kind of pain than the traditional tapping. It felt like a nail got hammered into my skin, and was moving up and down, digging deeper and deeper. At times my entire rib cage shook. 

He was very cheeky the entire time, but he's so darn cute, so I found it amusing.

The tattoos on his legs are the traditional men's pe'a. The pe'a starts from the mid-stomach, and goes down to the knees, front and back.

Why a Tattoo?

This tattoo was my first tattoo. Samoa, and Polynesia in general, has a huge tattoo culture. Most Samoans are tattooed with the traditional men’s pe’a, the traditional women’s malu, or just tattooed, which I find so beautiful. I’ve seen many tattoos in my lifetime, and I’d say that the best tattoos are Samoan. So Samoa was the place for me to get my first tattoo. Plus, it is Peace Corps Samoa tradition to get a traditional tattoo.

While my tattoo is representative of wings and my life (see explanation below), it also serves as a reminder: If I could join the Peace Corps, live two years in a foreign and undeveloped country, experience some of the hardest things I’ve ever encountered, sit (well lay) through a traditional tattoo, and survive it all, then I can do anything! The possibilities in my life are endless. I’m happy to have a permanent reminder of this.

Will I ever get another tattoo? Unless my sisters want to get a sister tattoo (my friend Madi gave me this idea), and I don’t think they will, then the answer is NO! Don’t get me wrong, I think tattoos are beautiful and I love how they look on other people, but they’re not for me. That’s why I chose the location of mine: It can be easily hidden and only visible when I want it to be. While it is large, it is discreet. If I got another tattoo, I wouldn’t know where to put it. I’d like a tattoo to be placed somewhere in the center of a body part or be symmetric. Well I took care of the symmetric tattoo. The only other one would be a center tattoo, and that would have to be on the back of my neck or spine (I find tattoos placed here to be beautiful, by the way), but then those placements go against my reasoning of wanting a discreet tattoo. I always think of formal events: I don’t want a tattoo to be visible when I’m wearing a nice dress or while I’m at work, so therefore, no more tattoos for me. Plus, the tattoo I have is HUGE as it is. There’s no need for another one.

Why Wings?

For the past 3-years, wings have been representative of my life and my experiences. I’ve pushed myself to face my fears and do things I’ve always wanted to do: hot air-ballooning, skydiving, traveling, walking a famous pilgrimage, volunteering in foreign countries, attending music festivals, and joining the Peace Corps. The list can go on and on. I’ve spread my wings and will continue to do so for the rest of my life. 

Why Sulu’ape?

The Sulu’ape’s are the only tattooists Peace Corps Samoa approves. Why? Well, because they practice hygienic tattooing, not to mention they’re world famous tattooists. Plus, the Sulu’ape’s are one of the two families who started traditional Samoan tattoos centuries years ago. How awesome is that? The Sulu’ape who did my traditional tattoo is named Petelo, who is the father. When I tell people that he was the one who did my traditional tattoo, they always respond, “Ah, the old man.” That is how he is known. It was an honor to get tattooed by him. 

Here I am with the man who traditionally tattooed me, Petelo Sulu'ape, also known as "The Old Man."

You can read more about the Sulu’ape family and traditional Samoan tattoos here:

http://tautalatala.com/news/2013/ink-art-tattoo/interview-samoan-hand-tap-tattooist-sua-peter-suluape-part-i

The Birthday Gift

I ordered a poster that describes the meanings behind the Samoan designs. As a border I placed photos from my tattoo and my friend’s tattoo. Since she is one of my closest friends here, I wanted to do something special for her birthday. She loved the gift! Once I’m in America, I’ll make a replica for myself. 

Final Thoughts

I’m very happy with my tattoo, what it represents in my life, and the Samoan meanings behind it. I was the first member in my group to get a tattoo, and since then two others have got one. By the time our service is finished in December, 7 of us will have a traditional tattoo and one will get a tattoo done by gun. Not bad for a small group of just 11 people! Once everyone has his or her tattoo, I’ll post a group photo displaying our artwork!

You can read more about Peace Corps and tattooing in Samoa here (on page 38):

http://issuu.com/peacecorpsconnect/docs/22.2_-_language_-_13043wv_web2/7

Below you’ll find a video of my traditional tattoo. It isn't available on mobile devices due to copyright issues with the song. If the video happens to get deleted/flagged, then I'll upload again without the song. Anyway, enjoy!   

http://youtu.be/TjibeQob5S4

Pure Bliss

Moments after the Spurs became the 2014 NBA Champs. Yes, I took a photo of the television. 

 The San Antonio Spurs are the 2014 NBA Champions!!! I’m a HUGE fan, so couldn’t be more thrilled, especially after last year’s heartbreaking loss in Game 6 of the Finals.

If I wasn’t watching the game in Apia

then I was watching the game at a new resort near my village. The resort has satellite TV, which is the best thing to happen to my village life and my love for sports. It’s a very expensive resort, so I’m trying to limit my time there.

The beautiful Saletoga Sands 

Once the Spurs became the champs, I finished my pizza, paid my bill, and then headed to the resort next door. Why didn’t I stay at the new resort? Because everyone from my village works there, whereas the older resort isn’t nearly as busy so the staff is limited. This means I can have more privacy and the beach to myself.

Anyway, I went on the beach and enjoyed the big victory. It was a great feeling; I literally jumped for joy!

Pure happiness

In other news, I've officially finished my 6th term teaching in a Samoan primary school! I have just two terms left! School was released early on Friday, so I headed to the resort for a celebration. I can't believe my time in Samoa is coming to an end.

How am I spending my holiday? I get one week off. I started it at the resort on Friday, spent all day in on Saturday, and I went to church on Sunday. I'm in Apia right now. On Wednesday I plan on going to my favourite beach resort in Lalomanu. Then I'll come back to Apia for the weekend to see a friend who's coming from New Zealand and go out with a fellow PCV.

Here’s to less than 6 months left in Samoa! 

You Know You’re a Peace Corps Volunteer in Samoa When (Part III)...

You wake up to find that the end of your right eyebrow is missing. The conclusion? The ants ate your eyebrow. Always blame the ants. Those little bastards will eat anything.

Males have no problem wearing your lavalava (a lavalava is a piece of material that is wrapped around the waist, like a skirt).

People go through your trash and reuse the contents. Privacy is non-existent in this country.

You meet a man who claims to be the prince of 5 Samoan islands.

A crab is walking around your room in the middle of the night. Instead of putting it outside, and waking everyone up, you kill it with insect spray. I know, I know, I feel bad about it now.

Your bus breaks down, making your travel day 14 hours long.

You own a yogurt maker, which is something you didn’t own in America.

While eating fish, you push its intestines and internal organs to the side of the plate. What happens next? Someone reaches over, grabs the pile of guts from you plate, and puts it into their mouth.

You were kind the night before, sharing all your alcohol and mixers. The problem is, you’re on a remote island that doesn’t sell alcohol. So what do you do? A fellow PCV and you take a boat to the main island, hitchhike to a nearby resort, buy enough beer and mixers to fill up three large bags, and take a taxi to the boat dock to get transported back to the small island. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the ultimate beer run.

While meeting with the tattoo artist, you explain what you want done, drawing a kindergarten-type design on a piece of paper. He doesn’t sketch the tattoo, only saying “okay,” and starts the traditional tattoo. It’s basically freehand on the body, which is a bit scary to think about.

A fly flies into your mouth. You quickly try to spit it out, but don’t think you’ve succeeded.

While at a resort, you have a mini dougie dance off with an 8-year-old Samoan girl.

You’re obsessed with hot cheetos and get so excited when you find them in Apia. So what do you do? You eat several bags in one week, basically cancelling out a month's worth of workouts.

The heavy rainfall caused a leaky ceiling in your bedroom. The only option is emptying out your food bucket and placing it onto your bed. You sleep with the bucket on your bed for several days. Beats a wet bed.

During your 2.5-hour traditional tattoo, all you could think about is how this is the most painful experience of your life (the tools stuck to your ribs and spine) and you don’t think childbirth could be any worse.

You turn on your MacBook to find a light blue strip on the screen. Since then, the strip has turned lime green and is currently yellow. You hope and pray that the computer lasts your final months of Peace Corps service.

You download a countdown app. What is the first countdown you put in? The date and time your flight leaves Samoa. Yes, my flight has been booked! Just 179 days, 10 hours, 31 minutes, 07 seconds to go. But who’s counting?

The heavy rainfall has caused the water pipes to break. This means your new shower is a bucket.

Facebook has become your news headquarter. If it weren’t for Facebook, you’d be out of the loop with all worldwide events.

You hardly drink soda, but you get a craving for one. After a sip, your urge is fulfilled so you pass the can to your neighbor sitting next to you.

You go out in flip-flops. This is something you’d never do in America. Ever.

A guy who is trying to flirt with you asks, “So do you have a wife?” Your response: “Yes, yes I do have a wife.” Ha.

Strangers see you holding a large poster and have no problem asking to see the front of it. I tell ya, privacy is nonexistent.

You’re shopping at a thrift store and ask the worker where the fitting room is located. Her response, “There’s no fitting room in the store, so go to the corner and try on the clothes.” That’s exactly what you do. And no fitting room means there isn’t a mirror so you take videos and photos of yourself on your phone, to see how the outfit looks on.

At a different store, the fitting room is a storage closet. It’s impossible to close the door, so you’re left trying on clothing in the open, with people walking in and out the entire time.

Your day is made because a young boy tells you that you look like a beautiful princess. It leaves a smile on your face when you realize that that is one of the sweetest compliments you’ve ever received.

After hanging out with friends all night, you go to McDonalds at 7:30 am, quickly becoming disappointed that you can’t get a hamburger at that hour because the breakfast menu is all that’s available.

The bus gets so full that you end up sitting on a stranger’s lap for two hours. You feel bad about hurting the person so you squat the entire ride into town. Painful, but a great thigh workout!

It’s time for your friend to leave Samoa. This leaves you really sad, and you get even sadder when you realize that your remaining time will be full of goodbyes to people you’ll most likely never see again.

You ask your family in America to send you photos of the delicious food they’re eating.

You have an interesting dream about your hamster Misty who has been dead for 3 years. In your dream she was alive and well.

While sleeping, you feel something crawling next to you. You feel its shell while pushing it away. Before it runs off, your shine your phone’s light on it, discovering that it’s a LARGE cockroach.

Your friends adopted a puppy that frequently sleeps with you. You don't care that she has ticks.

Your friends weren’t sure you were coming over after all, so they went to sleep. You had no luck reaching them on the phone and didn’t want to knock on the door and wake everyone up. So what do you do? Sleep on the bench outside. The puppy kept you company and the cool air and rain made the situation enjoyable. You’re surprised the mosquitoes didn’t murder you.

Many Samoans, including strangers have asked how much your tattoo cost. The truth will never be revealed.

You’d rather go on the expensive district bus because that means you won’t have to sit on anyone’s lap.

Your umbrella breaks after fighting off a pack of 5 vicious dogs.

Your Samoan name has become the norm. Hearing your real (American) name sounds so odd.

Strangers have no problem zipping up a falling zipper on your outfit.

You witness two young boys carrying a screaming pig that clearly knows its fate. You hope that the pig isn’t your lunch that day because you won’t be able to eat it.

The rain and wind is strong that it destroys your umbrella.

It’s your birthday so you go to a nearby resort for lunch and a jug of Piña Coladas, getting drunk by yourself on the beach. What an excellent way to celebrate a new year of life!

Your friends have a house party. Any guesses on what was stolen? If you guessed razors from the shower, then *ding, ding, ding* you are correct.

Some of your friends think you’re crazy because you take Samoan food to the beach. Taro with palusami is so delicious!

You go 36 hours without sleep because you thought it was a good idea to get on the bus at 2:30 am, so that you could get on the 6 am boat from Savai’i to Upolu.

While waiting for the bus to arrive at 2:30 am, the barking dogs make you regret your decision to catch the first bus because you fear you’ll get attacked.

Your friend is traveling out of the country and asks if you need anything. You ask him to bring you and a fellow PCV Taco Bell. Well, Taco Bell wasn’t available, but he still brings tacos and burritos from another fast food restaurant. You eat the food one week after it was purchased. Internationally traveled, Date Line hopping fast food is still delicious after a week… and we didn’t get sick! Thank you preservatives and Samoa for making our systems like steel!

Your hair has grown 6 inches since you cut it in America in January. Washing it once a week has really paid off.

The word “hate” is used loosely here, resulting in you to regularly use the word. Once you’re back in America, you hope to break this nasty habit.

Your new favorite word is “tragedy.” Example: “The bus is running really late so I’m going to miss some of the game. This is a tragedy!”

Your new favorite phrase: "The possibilities are endless." The possibilities are always endless!

You have no idea why or how you picked up these phrases.

A majority of your friends with cars are males, resulting in the villagers to think that you have several boyfriends.

Your refrigerator keeps getting unplugged; so one morning you take it upon yourself (and find the strength) to move the 4-foot object into your room.

Your classroom is infested with bees and wasps.

The bus is so full that a stranger hands you their newborn baby to hold.

The ants have eaten through one of your shoes; the shoe is now in two pieces!

Your toenail falls off for no apparent reason.

Your arms develop white spots all over them.

Your nickname is Sandy because sand seems to get all over you at the beach.

You love referring to yourself in the third person.

It makes you happy that your friends in America still harass you about being a San Antonio Spurs fan! Go Spurs Go!

The humidity has caused all your photos to curl on the ends.

While going to the front of the church for communion, your host mother grabs a hat off of the closest person’s head, placing the hat onto your head. You’re thankful you haven’t been infected with head lice.

Your host family is adding flooring throughout the house. This means you'll have to move every single object out of your room. You take the opportunity to start throwing items away so it’s less to do when you move out permanently at the end of the year. It also gives you anxiety about packing and leaving Samoa forever.

To upload this post, you saved the file as a PDF on your computer, transferred it to your phone, opened the file on Adobe Reader, opened your web browser, copied and paste ever single page onto blogger.com, and fixed the spacing. Sheesh!


To read Part I & II, click here: http://angelinaaugust.blogspot.com/2013/06/you-know-youre-peace-corps-volunteer-in.html?m=1

My next post will be about my traditional Samoan tattoo, loaded with photos and possibly a video of the process. Look out for it in the coming weeks!