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Closeup of a tattoo on a man's thighs
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Tatau: Tatau Sāmoa Tatau: Sāmoan tattoo

Explore the history of Sāmoan tatau

  tatautattooSāmoan | Noun, watch interviews with people talking about what their tatau means to them, and discover objects and photographs within our collections.

  • Two Sāmoan men in lavalava's standing in a living room looking at the camera
    Samoan tatau: a tufuga begins his work…

    Samoan tatau: a tufuga begins his work…

    An excerpt from an interview with the late tufuga tatatau (master tattooist) Su‘a Sulu‘ape Paulo II in March 1999.

    Te Papa Blog

  • Tatau: A History of Sāmoan Tattooing pe'a cover
    Tatau: A History of Sāmoan Tattooing

    Tatau: A History of Sāmoan Tattooing

    A beautifully designed and richly illustrated retelling of the unique and powerful history of Sāmoan tattooing, from 3,000 years ago to modern practices.

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    Explore Sāmoan tatau on Collections Online

    Explore Sāmoan tatau on Collections Online

    Photographs of Sāmoan tatau in New Zealand and tools used in the art of tatau,

    Collections Online

  • Tatau malu cover
    Read: Interview with the authors of Tatau

    Read: Interview with the authors of Tatau

    Co-authors Sean Mallon and Sébastien Galliot talk about working on publishing the book Tatau and what they've learned and what keeps them interested in the art of Tatau.

  • A sepia photo of two Sāmoan men tattooing another man who is lying down on a flax mat
    The changing art of tatau: Samoan tattooing

    The changing art of tatau: Samoan tattooing

    Senior Curator Pacific Cultures Sean Mallon answers some questions about Sāmoan tatau.

    Te Papa Blog