A beautifully designed and richly illustrated retelling of the unique and powerful history of Samoan tattooing, from 3000 years ago to modern practices. This cultural history is the first publication to examine 3000 years of Samoan tatau. Through a chronology rich with people, encounters and events, it describes how Samoan tattooing has been shaped by local and external forces of change over many centuries.
Richly illustrated with historical images of nineteenth and twentieth century Samoan tattooing, contemporary tattooing, diagrams of tattoo designs and motifs, and with supplementary photographs such as posters, ephemera, film stills and artefacts.
