Samoa Tribal Tattoos

Samoan tattoos, or tataus as they are rightfully called, are more than just body art. A tatau is a sign of respect for the traditions and culture of the Samoan people, and the person who wears one is marked with a representation of the pride of his/her entire family.
It's generally believed that the art of tattooing was brought to Samoa by two women from the island of Fiji. Although the women at first had some trouble convincing anyone to give them a chance, tradition has it that one of the tribal chieftains finally relented and submitted to the ordeal, and it definitely was an ordeal because the traditional design could take weeks or months to complete.
The process was and still is very painful. The traditional tatau is created using very primitive tools. A bone or tortoiseshell comb is dipped in ink made from the ashes of cremated candlenut shells, and dragged across the flesh to slice it open. The ink seeps into the wounds and the blood is wiped away. The process is repeated over and over until the tatau is complete, but because of the pain there could be days in between sessions while the recipient takes time to recover.
Traditionally, the tatau was reserved only for the young men in the tribe, but as time passed the women also began to receive tattoos - although they were nowhere near as extensive as the men's ritual markings.

 Peace tribal tattoos on arm