Fundamentals Of Traditional And Modern Polynesian Tattoo

Fundamentals of Traditional and Modern Polynesian Tattoo, is the result of a two-year labor of love from tattoo artist and author, Roland Pacheco. With over 660 illustrations, photographs and diagrams, and over 175 defined motifs, painstakingly researched and documented, Fundamentals of Traditional and Modern Polynesian Tattoo is not only a book for tattoo artists, but one that anyone interested in the art form of tattoo can enjoy. Approaching tattoo from a cultural perspective and exploring the 5 main genres of Polynesian tattoo: Hawai'ian, Marquesan, Tahitian, Samoan and Maori, the author shares his own personal insights as well as those of historians, anthropologists and early European explorers. Fundamentals of Traditional and Modern Polynesian Tattoo, is a massive collection of ancient and modern Polynesian tattoo motifs, as well as a historical and cultural account of what motivated the ancient Polynesians to cover themselves in the protective armor of tattoo.

"This collection of amazing photos attests to the high level of artistic achievement and technical ability of the Polynesian people today, as well as nonislanders who have been heavily influenced by the art of the Pacific."---Ed Hardy --Book Jacket.

The POLYNESIAN TATTOO Handbook Vol.2 is an unprecedented resource for those who wish to learn about Polynesian tattoos, their styles, elements, and meanings, with clear explanations and detailed examples to guide their creation.

The popularity of tattoos today is a revival of a practice begun in the late eighteenth century, when Westerners first made contact with the native peoples of the Pacific. The term ‘tattoo’ entered Europe with the publication of Captain Cook’s voyages in the 1770s, and Pacific tattoos became fashionable in the West as sailors, whalers and explorers brought home tattoos from Tahiti, the Marquesas, New Zealand and Polynesia. In recent years these early contacts have been revived, as native tattooists from Oceania have begun tattooing non-Polynesians in Europe, the USA and elsewhere. Tattoo is both a fascinating book about these early Oceanic–European exchanges, that also documents developments up to the present day, and the first to look at the history of tattooing in Oceania itself. Documenting these complex cultural interactions in the first part of the book, the authors move from issues of encounter, representation and exchange to the interventions of missionaries and the colonial state in local tattoo practices. Highly illustrated with many previously unseen images, for example the original voyage sketches of the first Russian circumnavigation of 1803–6, this is a fascinating account of early tattooing and cultural exchange in Oceania, and will appeal to the wide audience interested in the history of tattooing.

This engrossing story reviews the nature of indigenous and tribal peoples and their uses of tattoos. Readers learn about the earliest known tattoos and their meanings, and the explorers and conquistadors who encountered the indigenous people who used them. The tattoo traditions of Japan, India, the Arctic, the Americas, Polynesia and Oceania are also examined. The book includes an overview of the anthropologists who studied tattoo meanings and symbols, which can have different meanings in different places of the world. The book closes with a discussion of how tattoos can now be seen as a revival or a fashion choice among modern people who can choose their style and identity more freely than could early indigenous peoples.

This book focuses on the traditional (old school) style of tattooing and its ongoing impact on todays tattoo art. More than 300 stunning colour photos are combined with tattoo artists personal explanations of why they love to work in the traditional style, and the artistic challenges that it poses today. For the fifteen tattoo artists in this book, the essence of real and true tattooing is the traditional one: bold lines, simple motifs, black and red colours tattoos built to last on the skin. From the early beginnings in the late 19th century among sailors, traditional tattoos have been developed further by todays tattoo artists. Neo-traditional, Americana, new school, old school the names are many, but all have that single common heritage: they are based on the simple lines created on the sailors skins many years ago.