Small arrows, birds and stars adorn the tops of the soldier’s hands and fingers. Etched into her skin from the wrists up to her nail beds, the markings are no ordinary tattoos, but symbols of ...

I lay on the mat of the open-air bungalow in Apia, Samoa, looking up at a gecko. As its tail quivered, I felt a sympathetic twitch in my leg. Su’a Sulu’ape Paulo III, the sixth-generation Samoan ...

Over 11 years and 570 episodes, John Rabe and Team Off-Ramp scoured SoCal for the people, places, and ideas whose stories needed to be told, and the show became a love-letter to Los Angeles. Now, John ...

HONOLULU (Island News)-- A Samoan Army Captain is the first soldier to receive approval to have traditional “tatau” or tattoos on her hands. This move not only honors Captain Isis Sake’s cultural ...

Yesterday marked a monumental moment in cultural history as Tūhura Otago Museum hosted the world’s first-ever public demonstration of traditional Samoan tattooing in a museum setting. The event, which ...

In a tiny room at the rear of a tattoo parlor in Garden Grove a very special ritual plays out in carefully placed black inks. An expression of personal bravery and protection of family that most of us ...

In Polynesian cultures, tattoos are an ancient custom used to signify rites of passage. In Polynesian cultures, tattoos are an ancient custom used to signify rites of passage and milestones in life.

Across the Pacific, tattoos are etched into the culture. Finding meaning in your own ‘story on skin’ helps honor the tradition. A young man in Oahu, Hawai‘i, gets a tattoo the traditional way, with a ...

Tattoos in places like Samoa, Tonga, and Hawai‘i can signify a sacred oath to protect and honor one’s community. Audiences are buzzing with anticipation for another rich adventure through Polynesia in ...