| |
|
REMINDER: Siteowner has no obligation to monitor the Forums. However, Siteowner reserves the right to review the Materials submitted to or posted on the Forums, and remove, delete, redact or otherwise modify such Materials, in its sole discretion and for any reason whatsoever, at any time and from time to time, without notice or further obligation to you. Siteowner has no obligation to display or post any Materials provided by you. Siteowner reserves the right to disclose, at any time and from time to time, any information or Materials that Siteowner deems necessary or appropriate to satisfy any applicable law, regulation, contract obligation, legal or dispute process or government request. To further read the rules and terms of agreement of this Forum, click here.
crankit211
Billy Hamilton status
Reged: 11/09/05
Posts: 1478
|
|
I've noticed in Hawaii that lots of guys have tattoos that look like stacks of triangles. What is the meaning?
--------------------
gone
|
Shwuz
Miki Dora status
Reged: 09/26/03
Posts: 3644
Loc: Corpus Christi, TX
|
|
While we're at it, what is the meaning of the paw prints on chicks' boobs?
|
TLH
Michael Peterson status
Reged: 01/08/06
Posts: 2064
Loc: Hawaii
|
|
What is the signigance of the tribal armbands on squids, jocks and college students worldwide?
|
Kevin_McCormick
Legend (inyourownmind)
Reged: 06/03/04
Posts: 302
Loc: San Clemente
|
|
whats up with the tramp stamp?
|
TLH
Michael Peterson status
Reged: 01/08/06
Posts: 2064
Loc: Hawaii
|
|
I guess this is as good a place as any for me to throw in some shameless self-promotion. Those of you who think you're really on the edge need to bail that mainstream tattoo and piercing ***** and head down to my new bruising parlor. Nothing says you're super cool like being stylishly bruised. I'll have my bruising bench set up and we'll get you propped just so and then my professionally trained assistants and I will be applying a variety of shades and colors to various locations about the head, face, neck, chest, kidney and groin. (Prices vary and a complete list will be available on the website soon.) Gift certificates are available.
|
bobsurf
Tom Curren status
Reged: 01/10/03
Posts: 10677
Loc: Blue Oyster Bar
|
|
What's the deal with Ovaltine?
|
dk
Rabbitt Bartholomew status
Reged: 09/14/03
Posts: 9546
Loc: Leucadia
|
|
why do hawaiians love spam? 
--------------------
www.dksurfboards.com
|
piggydog
Michael Peterson status
Reged: 10/17/04
Posts: 2316
Loc: uh yeah The OC
|
|
Quote:
whats up with the tramp stamp?
does it mean they like it in the ass?
What's up with mod's only getting 1 star? does it mean mods like it the ass?
|
Piercer
Gerry Lopez status
Reged: 01/14/02
Posts: 964
Loc: Maui, Hawai'i, USA
|
|
If the tip of the triangle is pointing up it represents mountains if its pointing down sharks teeth.
--------------------
surfing gets me wet...
|
internettoughguy
Legend (inyourownmind)
Reged: 12/21/05
Posts: 272
Loc: The Internet
|
|
http://starbulletin.com/97/12/26/features/story1.html
By Burl Burlingame
Star-Bulletin
One night, while driving home along Mamalahoa Highway on the Big Island, P.F. "Ski" Kwiatkowski found a dense fog shrouding the road ahead. He slowed when a pair of glowing eyes appeared in the mist ahead of his pickup truck, but it was too late. A disoriented Hawaiian owl rocketed out of the mist and slammed headlong into the truck.
Pueo, the owl, is one of Kwiatkowski's 'aumakua, a kind of family spirit or totem, and it pained him that the animal died. He pulled over, and in the darkness and mist, Kwiatkowski buried the owl with a small cairn of stones. He apologized to the owl's spirit and continued on his journey.
A short distance down the highway, Kwiatkowski came upon a nasty accident at the Waikoloa Intersection. Had he not paused to bury the owl, he could have slammed headlong into the crumpled cars, much as his 'aumakua had done to him.
Kwiatkowski pulls up his pants leg to show an elaborate tattoo riding up his right thigh: a mosaic of triangles, dots and diamonds, and above it all, the outline of a stocky bird in flight. "Pueo," he said. "My 'aumakua. Thanks to the owl, I'm still here."
The Hawaiian Tattoo P.F. Kwiatkowski, Halona Inc. $12.95
The Hawaiian Tattoo book The point of this is the tattoos. Kwiatkowski's privately published book, "The Hawaiian Tattoo," remains the sole work on this neglected subject, and is also something of a local home-publishing success. It's gone through several editions -- all printed in Hawaii -- just by word of mouth -- and recently was picked up by distributor Native Books and is available in Oahu bookstores.
It is illustrated in great detail by Tom O'o Mehau, also of the Big Island.
Kwiatkowski lives on a farm in Kohala, a "true mountain goat," he laughs. His previous book was about Hawaiian petroglyphs, and while working on it, "got this incredible urge to put tattoos on myself -- this design was in my head, like a daydream, like a waking vision," he said. The pattern was the triangle motif, like sharks' teeth, another family 'aumakua. The pattern on his leg will eventually cover the whole thigh.
He began to research Hawaiian tattooing, and discovered that there wasn't much to turn to. "Everything on Hawaiian tattoos at Bishop Museum was in a very skinny three-ring binder," said Kwiatkowski.
By Dennis Oda, Star-Bulletin
Tom O'o Mehau's sketches of traditional tattoo patterns
were drawn from mummified remains held at Bishop Museum,
above, and from works of art produced in the period just after
Hawaiians first encountered Europeans, below.
The work "tattoo" itself is a corruption of the Tahitian "tatau," and the Hawaiian word is "kakau." Pre-contact geometric designs marking 'aumakua and clan loyalties and personal tastes were quickly replaced post-Cook with designs reflecting animals such as goats, or writing the names of loved ones in English.
Kwiatkowski's primary sources were the drawings of first-contact artists such as Webber, Choris and Arago -- "The original drawings, not the later lithographs, which had fanciful details added" -- the surviving skin of mummified ancient Hawaiians and, by inference, designs on kapa and totem images.
Hawaiians used tattoos to signify 'aumakua, to show warriorly strength, to express grief -- often by tattooing on the tongue -- or to brand slaves, or kauwa. These brands were placed on the face, around the eyes, and signified this caste as chiefly property. Defeated warriors were sometimes tattooed on the inside of their eyelids as an additional insult.
Early missionaries were of course horrified by all this needling and, citing Scripture, (Leviticus 19:28 -- "Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you...") made sure tattooing pretty much vanished by the late 1830s.
An exception was a saw-toothed or dotted design around the ankles of women, signifying shark bites, and protecting the wearer from real sharks.
Kwiatkowski began to work on his body canvas, tattooing designs on himself and with the help of wife Darlene, "who does the areas I can't reach." He makes his own needles, some of which are sewing needles, some ivory, some albatross bones. "Unlike chicken bones, albatross bones are water- and ink-proof and hold their edge," said Kwiatkowski. "And they're much less painful than an electric needle."
Tom O'o Mehau studied a sketch titled "Hawaiian Warrior"
to produce this detail of a chest tattoo in the checkerboard,
or papa konane, pattern. The original sketch, in the Hawaii
State Archives, is by Jacques Arago, who
visited Hawaii in 1819.
The design is drawn on with a pen, the outline hacked in and then slowly filled, at least until Kwiatkowski has had enough pain. The ink is carbon black, soot from burning kukui nuts mixed with sugar cane juice and coconut milk. "It makes a dark blue color; there's no evidence Hawaiians used anything else," said Kwiatkowski.
There is growing interest in cultural tattoos, far beyond kids making gang ciphers on their hands. "I'm seeing more and more of it these days," said Norman Goldstein, a Honolulu dermatologist whose clinical interest in tattoos has led to an archive of more than 50,000 images. "People of Hawaiian culture are not only getting tattoos in the ancient patterns, people from the mainland, from Europe -- they're getting them too."
"In all of Polynesia, Hawaii is the only place where the practice of tattooing died out," said Kwiatkowski. "Hawaii was also de-culturized more so than those other communities as well. So there's a lot of catching up to do."
Thinking of getting tattooed, but worried it might be incorrect? Kwiatkowski says that while pre-contact Hawaiians did have obedience and clan markings, tattooing was primarily done for aesthetic reasons. "If you want a turkey on your forehead, hey, that's OK," he said. "And it's always to safe to check out the family genealogy for your 'aumakua."
But if you want to be absolutely authentic, do your homework first. Tattooing can't be erased. Case in point -- Kwiatkowski's upper left arm, which has a mo'o (lizard) design as part of a partially completed geometric band encircling the biceps.
"I started this one before I was complete with research," laughed Kwiatkowski. "Turns out that Hawaiians never had bands going all the way around the biceps. That's a Samoan thing!"
He paused. "Looks good, though, doesn't it?"
--------------------
But I do know that, as long as we live, we must remain true to ourselves.
|
TLH
Michael Peterson status
Reged: 01/08/06
Posts: 2064
Loc: Hawaii
|
|
A total non sequiter but whatever- worth checking out is Chris Mckinney's "The Tattoo". Has nothing to do with "Hawaiian" tattoos per se but takes place in Halawa prison and exemplifies the parts of hawaii most people dont spend enough time here to see- the blue tarp tent culture of baby luaus and growing dope, strip joints and prison time (among a multitude of other things). The seedier side of a somewhat polarized community. Good book. Also somewhat of an easy read- the guy keeps stuff simple and to the point and doesn't clutter it up with a lot of extraneous bullsh!t that some authors seem to like to do- it isn't the kind of writing that is alienating an MTV generation of readers that just want some content and dont want to have to keep a thesaurus and dictionary by their side to wade through it.
|
surfMOMster
Legend (inyourownmind)
Reged: 09/18/03
Posts: 284
Loc: Redondo Ave's
|
|
Quote:
An exception was a saw-toothed or dotted design around the ankles of women, signifying shark bites, and protecting the wearer from real sharks.
I'd like to thank you for posting this. Hadn't heard of or read that yet.
I happen to think that my 'aumakua is the dolphin and will eventually have one (or two of them) done in Tahitian style above my band.
|
|
Powered by UBB.threads™ 6.5.4
|
|
|
|
|
Previous
Index
Next
Threaded
Edit
Reply
Quote
