Montunui Tattoos
In the Disney movie Moana, the island of Montunui was based off a number of different Polynesian cultures. The writers based the tribe’s tattoos off of the traditional tattoos seen in Samoa. Although our western culture uses tattoos as individualistic expressions and decorations, Samoan tattoos are sacred and symbolic. Samoans get permanent tattoos on their skin as a way that tells a story about their life, family, and what is important to them. Getting a tattoo is also a symbol of strength because of the painful process you have to go through to get them.
To explore this topic with my children, we watched some youtube videos about getting tattoos, discussed their permanence and purpose, then we applied techniques similar to the ancient Polynesian tattooing methods to paint our own designs on paper. This was one of their favorite days and they later appreciated seeing people who had real tattoos in public. (Which was an opportunity to talk about how we don’t point and talk about the appearance of others in public.)
Background resources
Samoan Art in the Tatau by the US National Park Service:
https://www.nps.gov/teachers/classrooms/samoan-art-in-the-tatau-tattoo.htm
Samoan tatau (tattooing), by the Museum of New Zealand:
https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/topic/1560
Samoan Tattoo information: https://www.polynesiantattoosymbols.com/frequent-questions-about-Polynesian-tattoos.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pT-vq0sFW8
Reference images
Tattoos are featured prominently on the members of Moana’s tribe and on Maui the demigod. If you look carefully, Moana’s mom even has a hand tattoo similar to those worn by Samoan women.
Pe’a (Men’s, like Cheif Tui’s) and Malu (Women’s, shown left) tattoos are sacred and symbolic Samoan tattoos that tell a story about a person’s values and their history.
A tatau master uses an ‘au and hammer to drive ink into the skin to create the tatau designs (right).
Discussion
Talk about your kid’s experience with tattoos.
Do you know anyone with a tattoo? Have you seen anyone with a tattoo before?
Talk about how sometimes we decorate ourselves with face paint or temporary tattoos that wash off but that real tattoos stay forever. How do you think true tattoos stay on so long?
After our discussion, we watched a ~4.5 min TED talk on tattoos (below). The first 1.5 min contain the main learning points we were looking for.
Teaching points we summarized after watching the video were:
For tattoo artists to get the ink to stay, they have to poke it under the top layers of skin. This is a painful process and something the Samoans take very seriously.
We demonstrated that the skin has layers and the image stays in lower layers by using paper with an image printed on it and another blank paper laid over top of it.
In modern times, people can use a machine to deliver the ink and poke the skin very quickly.
In ancient times, they used special tools to hammer the ink into the skin.
After watching the TedTalk, we watched how Moana’s tribe received their tattoos as well as how Samoan tattooing is performed in real life (video below). In the movie, this scene happens as Moana is going about the tribe performing leadership duties such as fixing a roof and instructing younger children how to dance. She reassures someone as they are getting a tattoo saying they are “so close" to being done.
‘Au Design Activity
Background:
Samoan Tatau (Tattoo) is performed using an ‘au and hammer to drive ink from the candle nut under someone’s skin to create a design. The ‘au is constructed from a bone comb and a shell plate attached to the end of a stick by string. In this activity, we will construct a tool like an ‘au to create our own designs on paper.
*Please be respectful of Samoan Tatau as you perfrom this activity. It is meant to help others understand and appreciate how the art of Tatau is performed. However, for someone of Polynesian descent, receiving a tatau is a sacred ritual not to be taken lightly.
Materials:
Q-tips
Chopsticks or other sticks (at least 2)
Rubber bands or tape
Paint and container to hold the paint
Tape
Paper (blank, trace hands, letter outlines, line patterns to follow, etc)
Marker/pen/pencil if you would like to trace their hands on the paper
Preparation:
Attach Q-tip/cotton swab to the end of a chopstick with a rubber band (Can also use tape) so that the swab is perpendicular to the chopstick. This will be your ‘au like tool.
Tape paper (with our without an image outline already on it) to the table
Instructions:
Dip the end of the cotton swab into the paint
While holding the chopstick/cotton swab ‘au with paint over the paper, use the other chopstick to tap the handle of the first chopstick so that the paint comes into contact with the paper similar to how the Samoan tattoo masters deliver ink for tattoos.
My 4 year old’s designs tapped out with her ‘au tool