People
A reference to public figures who have carried Polynesian tattoo forward — the traditional lineage masters who kept the practice alive, and the contemporary founding artists who defined the styles and techniques shaping today's Polynesian tattoo. Every person listed has substantial independent documentation. See the full artist directory for browsing by culture and style.
Old-school keepers
Tufuga tā tatau, tohunga tā moko, kākau uhi masters and historians — the practitioners whose lineages and published work anchor the modern revival.
Tufuga tā tatau
Style — Hand-tap tatau (pe'a & malu) · Sāmoa · Aotearoa
A leading tufuga of the Sulu'ape family, credited with bringing traditional Samoan hand-tap tatau to international attention through work and demonstrations in Aotearoa, Europe and the United States before his death in 1999.
Tufuga tā tatau
Style — Hand-tap tatau · Sāmoa
Senior tufuga of the Sulu'ape lineage who continues the family's practice of pe'a and malu, teaching apprentices and representing tatau at museum programmes internationally.
Tufuga tā tatau
Style — Hand-tap tatau · Auckland, Aotearoa
Brother of Paulo II, working from Aotearoa. Widely credited with training a generation of Pacific tufuga and profiled across Te Papa and academic studies of contemporary tatau.
Tufuga tā tatau
Style — Hand-tap tatau · Garden Grove, California
Bestowed the Sulu'ape title and runs A-Town Tattoo. Widely covered in US press for keeping the au-tapping tradition alive within the Samoan diaspora and hosting the Pacific Ink & Art Expo.
Kahuna kā uhi
Style — Uhi hand-tap kākau · Waiʻanae, Oʻahu
The most recognised living practitioner of traditional Hawaiian hand-tap kākau. Named a National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellow in 2019 for his work reviving Hawaiian tattoo. Also holds the Sāmoan Sulu'ape title bestowed by the Sulu'ape family.
Tohunga tā moko
Style — Tā moko (uhi chisel) · Aotearoa · New Zealand
Senior tohunga tā moko and co-founder of Te Uhi a Mataora, the national collective of tā moko practitioners. Widely documented across museum, academic and public-media coverage of the tā moko revival.
Tā moko artist
Style — Tā moko · Auckland, Aotearoa
Founder of Moko Ink in Auckland and a widely profiled figure in the modern tā moko revival, including tattoo work referenced in international press and film.
Tohunga tā moko, carver, sculptor
Style — Tā moko & carving · Taranaki, Aotearoa
Prominent Māori artist and tohunga tā moko whose work is collected by Te Papa and other major museums. Known for pairing traditional tā moko with contemporary sculpture and jewellery.
Historian, author, tattoo artist
Style — Research & practice · Hawaiʻi
Author of Tattoo Traditions of Hawaiʻi and The Polynesian Tattoo Today, and long-time researcher of Polynesian tattoo history. Her published work is among the most cited English-language sources on the subject.
Tahitian tattoo master
Style — Tatau tahiti · Papeete, Tahiti
Founder of Tattoonesia and one of the leading contemporary Tahitian tattoo masters, widely covered in Tahitian and French cultural media for reviving pre-contact Marquesan and Tahitian patterns.
Tufuga tā tatau
Style — Hand-tap tatau (pe'a & malu) · Sāmoa
Sulu'ape lineage tufuga documented across Te Papa's Tatau: Marks of Polynesia programme and Sean Mallon's writing on contemporary Samoan tatau.
Tufuga tā tatau
Style — Hand-tap tatau · Amsterdam, Netherlands
Bestowed the Sulu'ape title by the Sulu'ape family, working from Amsterdam. Frequently cited as one of the first non-Samoan practitioners entrusted with the au-tapping practice.
Tufuga tā tatau
Style — Hand-tap tatau · Auckland, Aotearoa
Sulu'ape lineage tufuga profiled in Te Papa and academic Pacific studies literature as part of the family's teaching diaspora in Aotearoa.
Tufuga tā tatau
Style — Hand-tap tatau · Wellington, Aotearoa
Wellington-based tufuga documented in New Zealand press coverage of pe'a and malu ceremonies as part of the modern tatau revival in Aotearoa.
Tufuga tā tatau
Style — Hand-tap tatau · Sāmoa
Sulu'ape lineage tufuga referenced across Sean Mallon's Tatau: A History of Sāmoan Tattooing and Te Papa exhibition materials.
Tufuga tā tatau
Style — Hand-tap tatau · Southern California
Bestowed the Sulu'ape title by the Sulu'ape family, working in Southern California and featured in LA-area press covering the Samoan diaspora tatau community.
Tohunga tā moko
Style — Tā moko · Rotorua, Aotearoa
Senior wāhine tā moko practitioner and member of Te Uhi a Mataora. Featured in Te Papa, Radio New Zealand and Māori Television coverage of the moko kauae revival.
Tohunga tā moko
Style — Tā moko · Christchurch, Aotearoa
Member of Te Uhi a Mataora and one of the artists profiled in the Tā Moko: Māori Tattoo film and companion book by Hans Neleman.
Tohunga tā moko, House of Natives
Style — Tā moko · Auckland, Aotearoa
Founder of House of Natives and long-time tohunga tā moko widely profiled in NZ press and international documentaries on the tā moko revival.
Artist & tohunga tā moko
Style — Tā moko, painting · Mount Maunganui, Aotearoa
Māori artist, author of Māori Art and Design, and long-time tā moko practitioner featured in Te Papa's contemporary Māori art collection.
Tohunga tā moko
Style — Tā moko · Aotearoa
Long-standing tohunga tā moko documented in the Tā Moko: Māori Tattoo book and in Te Papa's contemporary tā moko records.
Tohunga tā moko
Style — Tā moko (uhi chisel) · Aotearoa
Uhi chisel practitioner featured in tā moko documentaries and Te Papa educational programmes on traditional Māori tattoo tools.
Artist & tohunga tā moko
Style — Tā moko & sculpture · Aotearoa · Paris, France
Māori artist and tohunga tā moko whose work is held in the Musée du quai Branly and the British Museum. Widely exhibited internationally and profiled as a leading contemporary Māori artist.
Tahitian tattoo master
Style — Tatau tahiti (hand-tap) · Moʻorea, French Polynesia
Moʻorea-based hand-tap Tahitian tattoo master featured in French-language cultural documentaries on the pre-contact tatau revival across the Society Islands.
Tahitian tattoo master
Style — Tatau tahiti (hand-tap) · Tahiti, French Polynesia
Hand-tap Tahitian tattoo master featured in French Polynesian cultural media as one of the practitioners re-establishing pre-contact Tahitian tatau tools and technique.
Marquesan tattoo master
Style — Patutiki · Nuku Hiva, Marquesas
Marquesan patutiki practitioner featured in Te Fenua Enata cultural festival documentation of the patutiki revival.
Marquesan tattoo artist
Style — Patutiki · Marquesas Islands
Marquesan patutiki practitioner documented as part of the Te Patutiki association's cataloguing of Marquesan tattoo motifs.
Tufunga tā tatau
Style — Tongan tatatau · Nukuʻalofa, Tonga
Tongan tā tatau practitioner active in the ongoing revival of Tongan hand-tap tattooing, referenced in Radio New Zealand Pacific coverage.
Artist, Reo Tatau
Style — Reo Tatau / Melanesian revival · Auckland, Aotearoa
Founder of the Reo Tatau collective, credited with reviving women's hand-tap tattooing across Melanesia. Widely profiled by Te Papa and Radio New Zealand as a key figure in the wider Pacific tattoo revival.
Research & practice collective
Style — Veiqia revival · Fiji · Aotearoa
Artist-led research project reviving veiqia, the pre-contact Fijian women's tattoo practice, exhibited at Te Papa and the University of the South Pacific.
Curator & author, Te Papa
Style — History & documentation · Wellington, Aotearoa
Senior Pacific Cultures curator at Te Papa and co-author of Tatau: A History of Sāmoan Tattooing. His writing is among the most cited primary English sources on Samoan tatau.
Author, Art in Oceania
Style — Art history · Wellington, Aotearoa
Co-editor of Art in Oceania: A New History and Tatau: Marks of Polynesia, providing foundational scholarship on Polynesian tattoo across the region.
Filmmaker & advocate
Style — Malu & tatau documentation · Wellington, Aotearoa
Samoan-New Zealand filmmaker whose documentary Velvet Dreams and long-running advocacy have shaped Aotearoa's understanding of tatau and malu.
Tufuga tā tatau
Style — Hand-tap tatau · Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
Sulu'ape lineage tufuga working alongside Aisea Toetu'u at Soul Signature Tattoo in Honolulu, contributing to the ongoing revival of Tongan and Samoan hand-tap tatau in the Hawaiian diaspora.
Practitioner collective
Style — Women's hand-tap tattoo revival · Auckland, Aotearoa
The Reo Tatau collective, led by Julia Mage'au Gray, has been central to the revival of women's hand-tap tattooing across Melanesia and Polynesia. Documented by Te Papa and RNZ.
National tā moko collective
Style — Tā moko · Aotearoa
Te Uhi a Mataora is the national collective of tā moko practitioners founded in 2000, and the primary organising body of the contemporary tā moko revival.
Tufuga tā tatau
Style — Hand-tap tatau · Aotearoa
Samoan hand-tap tufuga working in Aotearoa, featured in RNZ Pacific coverage of pe'a and malu ceremonies.
Tufuga tā tatau
Style — Hand-tap tatau · Auckland, Aotearoa
Sulu'ape lineage tufuga working from Auckland, referenced in Te Papa and Pacific studies documentation of the modern tatau revival in Aotearoa.
Tufuga tā tatau
Style — Hand-tap tatau · Sāmoa
Sulu'ape lineage tufuga continuing the family's practice in Sāmoa, referenced in Te Papa's Tatau: Marks of Polynesia programme.
Tohunga tā moko & tā whakairo
Style — Tā moko & carving · Rotorua, Aotearoa
Māori artist, carver and tohunga tā moko featured across Te Papa's contemporary Māori art collections and NZ arts media.
Tufuga tā tatau
Style — Malu (hand-tap) · Sāmoa
Rare female tufuga in the Sulu'ape lineage documented for continuing traditional malu practice; profiled in Sean Mallon's tatau scholarship.
Tohunga tā moko & artist
Style — Tā moko and Māori sculpture · Taranaki, Aotearoa
Taranaki-based Māori artist and tohunga tā moko whose sculpture and tā moko work is held in Te Papa Tongarewa's national collection.
Cultural knowledge holder
Style — Marquesan patutiki · Nuku Hiva, Marquesas
Marquesan cultural authority and patutiki knowledge holder cited in the reference work Patutiki: Marquesan Tattoo Art (Au Vent des Îles) as a key contemporary source on Marquesan motifs.
Author & practitioner
Style — Patutiki research & practice · Marquesas
Co-author of Patutiki: Marquesan Tattoo Art and one of the leading contemporary documentarians of Marquesan patutiki motifs and their meanings.
Veiqia knowledge holder
Style — Veiqia (Fijian women's tattoo) · Vatulele, Fiji
Fijian veiqia knowledge holder documented in The Veiqia Project's collaborative research on the revival of women's marks in Fiji.
Cultural practitioner
Style — Cook Islands tā · Rarotonga, Cook Islands
Cook Islands knowledge holder cited by the Cook Islands Ministry of Cultural Development in the tā revival programme.
Tufuga tā tatau
Style — Hand-tap tatau · Sāmoa · Utah
Sulu'ape-lineage tufuga whose work in the Utah Samoan community is documented by the Utah Division of Arts and Museums Living Traditions programme.
Tohunga tā moko
Style — Tā moko (uhi) · Aotearoa
Founding member of the Te Uhi a Mataora tā moko collective, documented in Auckland Museum's tā moko oral history programme.
Tohunga tā moko
Style — Tā moko · Rotorua, Aotearoa
Rotorua-based tohunga tā moko featured in NZ On Screen and E-Tangata coverage of contemporary tā moko practice.
Tufuga tā tatau
Style — Hand-tap tatau · Auckland, Aotearoa
Sulu'ape lineage tufuga working out of Auckland and documented in Radio New Zealand's Pacific tatau coverage.
Tufuga tā tatau
Style — Hand-tap tatau · Auckland, Aotearoa
Sulu'ape lineage tufuga cited by Te Papa's ongoing Samoan tatau research programme and Radio New Zealand.
Tattooist · Sulu'ape-taught
Style — Hand-tap tatau & machine Polynesian · Copenhagen, Denmark
Owner of Meatshop Tattoo in Copenhagen and long-time collaborator of the Sulu'ape family, one of the most visible European practitioners taught in the Samoan hand-tap tradition. Widely covered in international tattoo press.
Tattooist
Style — Hand-poke & dotwork (indigenous / Polynesian influence) · Copenhagen, Denmark
Founder of Skin & Bone in Copenhagen, internationally known for hand-poke work drawing on Polynesian, Nordic and other indigenous tattoo traditions. Regularly featured in Skin Deep and Tattoo Life.
Tattoo artist
Style — Polynesian & Marquesan tribal · Île de Ré · La Rochelle, France
Tattoo artist originally from Wallis and Futuna, working from Île de Ré on the French Atlantic coast. Specialises in symbolic Polynesian tattoos rooted in his own Pacific heritage.
Tattoo artist
Style — Marquesan patutiki · Chabeuil (Drôme), France
Marquesan tattoo artist running a dedicated patutiki studio in Chabeuil, southeastern France. Every piece is custom-composed from Marquesan motifs to carry the wearer's personal story.
Tattoo artist
Style — Marquesan & Pacific tribal · Lorient, Brittany, France
Marquesan artist from Ua Pou working out of Henua Tiki Tattoo in Lorient, France, and international Polynesian conventions. Over a decade specialising in Marquesan and pan-Pacific tribal work.
Tattoo artist · studio owner
Style — Polynesian & Marquesan patutiki · Vilseck, Bavaria, Germany
Runs Manu Tattoo in Vilseck, Germany as Manu Tuhuka Patutiki, focused on culturally-rooted Polynesian and Marquesan tattooing with a career spanning more than three decades.
Modern founders
Living artists credited with popularizing a specific style, technique, or platform in contemporary Polynesian tattoo.
Tattoo artist, Sacred Tatau
Style — High-detail Samoan / contemporary fusion · Tampa, Florida
Working out of Sacred Tatau in Tampa, Samoan Mike is known for high-detail Samoan work that blends the dense geometry of pe'a and malu with contemporary sculptural motifs. He has built a wide following for tattooing high-profile athletes including WWE stars Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt.
Founder, Frost City Tatau
Style — Freehand Polynesian, graffiti-inflected · Midvale, Utah
Founded Frost City Tattoo (Frost City Tatau) in 2017 after starting his career at 16 in Compton. Best known for freehand contemporary Polynesian work — drawn on the skin without stencils — that fuses Samoan pattern language with graffiti lettering and photoreal depth. Has tattooed more than two dozen NFL players.
Founder, IslandTAT
Style — 3D sculptural Polynesian shading · San Diego, California
Founder of IslandTAT, widely credited with pioneering a three-dimensional shading technique in Polynesian tattooing — treating each motif as an individually sculpted form so the pattern reads as depth rather than a flat surface design. Also launched Island Tat as an apparel line and authored The Polynesian Tattoo: Code (2023). Clients include NFL players Rey Maualuga, Ray Lewis and Lofa Tatupu, and he has designed Polynesian patterns for Disney's Polynesian Resort.
Tattoo artist, pattern designer
Style — Contemporary Polynesian pattern design · Papeete, Tahiti
Manu Farrarons is one of the most published contemporary Polynesian tattoo designers, author of Polynesian Tattoos: 42 Modern Tribal Designs. His work is credited with codifying a widely-copied contemporary vocabulary for Marquesan-inflected Polynesian tattooing.
Tufunga tā tatau, Soul Signature Tattoo
Style — Tongan tatatau revival · Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
Born in Hawaiʻi of Tongan and Hawaiian-Filipino descent, Aisea Toetu'u co-founded Soul Signature Tattoo in Honolulu in 2004. Bestowed the Sulu'ape title, he is regarded as the leading contemporary practitioner of Tongan tatatau, working with the Tongan community to revive hand-tap tattooing that had largely disappeared after 19th-century missionary bans.
Founder, Western Tattoo Studio
Style — Contemporary Samoan / Pasifika · New Lynn, Auckland
Auckland-based tattooist of Chinese-Samoan descent who runs Western Tattoo Studio in New Lynn. Recognised as a senior artist by Creative New Zealand at the Arts Pasifika Awards, he is credited with tattooing many of Aotearoa's best-known Pasifika sports stars.
Tattoo artist
Style — Contemporary Hawaiian / Polynesian · Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi
Long-standing Hawaiian tattoo artist recognised for combining traditional kākau motifs with contemporary black-and-grey shading, featured in Tricia Allen's Polynesian Tattoo Today.
Tattoo artist
Style — Māori-inspired contemporary · Auckland, Aotearoa
Long-time Māori tattoo artist featured in Tricia Allen's Polynesian Tattoo Today, known for blending tā moko-inspired forms with contemporary blackwork.
Tattoo artist, Humble Beginnings
Style — Contemporary Polynesian & Filipino tribal · San Jose, California
Bay Area tattooist working from Humble Beginnings in San Jose. Part of the 1990s West Coast "New Tribal" generation that fused Pacific and Filipino tribal design with graffiti and illustration — a lineage that helped codify contemporary Polynesian tattoo on the US mainland.
Tattooist, Pacific Sisters
Style — Malu, contemporary Samoan · Wellington, Aotearoa
One of the few women tattooing malu, profiled by Te Papa and the Pacific Sisters collective as a leading figure in the modern generation of Samoan women tattooists.
Artist, Karanga Ink
Style — Tā moko & kirituhi · Auckland, Aotearoa
Founder of Karanga Ink and a widely profiled wāhine tā moko artist featured in Stuff, RNZ and The Spinoff coverage of the moko kauae revival.
Tattoo artist
Style — Kirituhi / contemporary Māori · Auckland, Aotearoa
Auckland-based tattoo artist known for large-scale kirituhi bodysuits, featured across Pacific and New Zealand tattoo press.
Tattoo artist, China Sea Tattoo
Style — Old-school Hawaiian tattoo lineage · Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
Successor to Sailor Jerry Collins at his Chinatown shop (later China Sea Tattoo). A foundational figure in the modern Hawaiian tattoo scene that produced the current generation of kākau and Polynesian tattooists.
Tattoo artist
Style — Hawaiian / Polynesian black-and-grey · Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi
Oʻahu-based Hawaiian tattoo artist featured in Tricia Allen's Polynesian Tattoo Today for detailed contemporary kākau-informed work.
Tattoo artist
Style — Contemporary Polynesian · Hawaiʻi
Long-standing Hawaiian tattoo artist featured in Tricia Allen's Polynesian Tattoo Today.
Tattoo artist
Style — Contemporary Hawaiian / Polynesian · Hawaiʻi
Hawaiian tattoo artist featured in Tricia Allen's Polynesian Tattoo Today for machine-based Hawaiian and Polynesian work.
Tattoo artist
Style — Contemporary Polynesian · Hawaiʻi
Hawaiian tattoo artist featured in Tricia Allen's Polynesian Tattoo Today for contemporary Polynesian work.
Tattoo artist
Style — Neo-Polynesian · Hawaiʻi
Neo-Polynesian tattoo artist featured in Tricia Allen's Polynesian Tattoo Today and Hawaiian tattoo media.
Tattoo artist, Mana'o Tattoo
Style — Contemporary Polynesian · Papeete, Tahiti
Widely-published Tahitian tattoo artist and pattern designer, credited (with Manu Farrarons) with shaping the contemporary Tahitian tattoo style that spread through international tattoo magazines in the 2000s.
Tattoo artist
Style — Patutiki, contemporary Marquesan · Nuku Hiva, Marquesas
Marquesan patutiki artist active in the Matavaʻa o te Fenua Enata festival programme, part of the collective revival of pre-Steinen Marquesan pattern language.
Tattoo artist
Style — Contemporary Tongan · Auckland, Aotearoa
Tongan contemporary tattoo artist working from Auckland, featured in Pacific arts media on the revival of Tongan tatatau design language.
Tattoo artist
Style — Contemporary Tongan · Auckland, Aotearoa
Contemporary Tongan tattoo artist featured in Pacific arts media coverage of the Tongan tatatau revival in Aotearoa.
Tattoo artist
Style — Contemporary Cook Islands / Polynesian · Rarotonga, Cook Islands
Cook Islands contemporary tattoo artist featured in Cook Islands News coverage of the revival of tātatau in the Cook Islands.
Tattoo artist
Style — Neo-Polynesian / freehand tribal · Columbus, Ohio
Widely-published neo-Polynesian tattooist and Inked Magazine feature artist, part of the international generation building on the Farrarons/Chimé Tahitian design vocabulary.
Tattoo artist
Style — Neo-Polynesian large-scale · São Paulo, Brazil
Widely-published Brazilian neo-Polynesian tattoo artist featured across international tattoo magazines for large-scale black tribal work.
Co-founder, Mark of the Four Waves Tribe
Style — Batok / Polynesian-adjacent revival · Los Angeles, California
Co-founder of the Mark of the Four Waves Tribe, a Filipino-American collective that has strongly shaped the West Coast Pacific tattoo revival. Featured in Smithsonian and academic writing on Pacific tattoo diaspora.
Curator, State of Grace
Style — Curation & tattoo history · San Jose, California
Tattoo artist and curator of Tatau: Marks of Polynesia (Japanese American National Museum), a landmark travelling exhibition on Polynesian tattoo.
Tattoo artist
Style — Contemporary Tongan · Auckland, Aotearoa
Auckland-based Tongan contemporary tattoo artist featured in Pacific arts media coverage of the Tongan tatatau revival in Aotearoa.
Tattoo artist
Style — Contemporary Polynesian · Hawaiʻi
Hawaiʻi-based tattoo artist featured in Tricia Allen's Polynesian Tattoo Today.
Owner, Slave to the Needle
Style — Neo-tribal, Polynesian & Filipino · Seattle, Washington
Seattle-based tattooist widely recognised for reviving Filipino and Polynesian tribal work on the US mainland, featured in Inked Magazine and the Smithsonian's coverage of Pacific tattoo revival.
Tattoo artist
Style — Neo-tribal (Polynesian/Borneo/Filipino) · Detroit, Michigan
Widely credited as the father of the modern neo-tribal tattoo movement, drawing heavily on Polynesian, Filipino and Bornean pattern language. His work through Ed Hardy's Tattoo Time in the 1980s reshaped how Polynesian tattoo entered the Western tattoo mainstream.
Tattoo artist, Skin Deep Tattoo
Style — Hawaiian machine tattoo · Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi
Long-standing Hawaiian tattoo artist featured in Tricia Allen's Polynesian Tattoo Today for contemporary Hawaiian tattoo work.
Tattoo artist
Style — Contemporary Samoan · Hawaiʻi
Samoan contemporary tattoo artist featured in Tricia Allen's Polynesian Tattoo Today.
Author, Tattoo Design Directory
Style — History & documentation · Vancouver, Canada
Author and documentarian whose Vanishing Tattoo project and Tattoo Design Directory catalogue Polynesian tattoo traditions across the Pacific.
Tattoo artist, Invisible NYC
Style — Japanese & Polynesian tribal · New York City, USA
Widely-published American tattoo artist whose long career blends Japanese tebori and Polynesian tribal work; a foundational figure in the Miami Ink era of neo-tribal tattooing.
Tufuga tā tatau (Sulu'ape-titled)
Style — Hand-tap and machine tatau · Garden Grove, California
Owner of A-Town Tattoo in California and a Sulu'ape-titled tufuga who bridges traditional hand-tap tatau and machine work in the American Samoan diaspora.
Kākau practitioner
Style — Uhi kākau (hand-tap Hawaiian) · Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi
Hawaiian kākau practitioner trained in the uhi hand-tap tradition alongside Keone Nunes; regularly featured in Bishop Museum kākau demonstrations.
Tohunga tā moko
Style — Tā moko (uhi & machine) · Auckland, Aotearoa
Member of the Te Uhi a Mataora collective who works in both uhi hand-tools and machine tā moko and has been documented in Auckland Museum's moko programmes.
Tufuga ta tatatau
Style — Hand-tap tatatau (Tongan) · Los Angeles, California
Sulu'ape-titled Tongan-American practitioner cited by the Getty and LACMA in coverage of the Tongan tatatau revival.
Artist & cultural practitioner
Style — Veiqia revival · Auckland, Aotearoa
Fijian artist and founding collaborator of The Veiqia Project, credited with leading contemporary veiqia knowledge exchanges in Aotearoa.
Veiqia practitioner
Style — Veiqia (contemporary) · Aotearoa
Fijian-descended artist working within The Veiqia Project's collaborative revival of women's marks, featured in Pantograph Punch coverage.
Tattooist
Style — Tongan tatatau (contemporary) · Auckland, Aotearoa
Tongan-Aotearoa tattooist featured in Radio New Zealand coverage of the Tongan tatatau revival in the diaspora.
Cultural researcher
Style — Tongan tatatau research · Auckland, Aotearoa
Researcher whose PhD work at the University of Otago on Tongan tatatau is cited in the contemporary revival literature.
Tattooist
Style — Cook Islands tā (contemporary) · Auckland, Aotearoa
Cook Islands Māori tattooist profiled in Cook Islands News for research and practice reviving pre-Christian Cook Islands tā motifs.
Tattooist
Style — Cook Islands and pan-Polynesian · Rarotonga, Cook Islands
Rarotonga-based tattooist referenced in Cook Islands News coverage of the Te Vaka Tatau collective.
Artist
Style — Samoan siapo & tatau design · Wellington, Aotearoa
MNZM Samoan-Aotearoa artist whose paintings and design work referencing tatau motifs are held in Te Papa Tongarewa's collection.
Artist
Style — Samoan motif painting & printmaking · Auckland, Aotearoa
ONZM Samoan-Aotearoa artist widely credited with mainstreaming tatau motifs in New Zealand contemporary art; represented at Te Papa and Auckland Art Gallery.
Curator & historian
Style — Tatau history · Wellington, Aotearoa
Te Papa senior curator of Pacific cultures and co-author of Samoan Tatau: Institutions of Marking, one of the most-cited references on tatau history.
Author & historian
Style — Tā moko scholarship · Aotearoa
Māori scholar and co-author of Mau Moko: The World of Māori Tattoo, the foundational contemporary reference on tā moko.
Researcher
Style — Tā moko scholarship · Auckland, Aotearoa
Co-author of Mau Moko: The World of Māori Tattoo and researcher at the University of Auckland on the psychology of tā moko.
Tattooist
Style — Machine Polynesian · Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
Hawaiʻi machine tattooist featured in Bishop Museum's Tattoo Traditions of Hawai'i publication and Honolulu Star-Advertiser coverage.
Tattooist
Style — Hawaiian kākau (machine) · Hawaiʻi
Contemporary Hawaiian kākau tattooist referenced in Hawaiʻi Magazine's tattoo feature and Honolulu tattoo studio directories.
Tattooist
Style — Marquesan patutiki (machine) · Nuku Hiva, Marquesas
Marquesan tattooist referenced in Tahiti Infos coverage of the annual Marquesas festival and patutiki demonstrations.
Tā moko artist
Style — Tā moko (early revival) · Wellington, Aotearoa
Wellington tā moko artist cited by Te Ara — The Encyclopedia of New Zealand for his role in the late-20th-century tā moko revival.
Tā moko artist
Style — Kauae moko · Aotearoa
Wāhine Māori tā moko artist profiled in The Spinoff for her kauae moko work and mentoring of the next generation.
Tattooist
Style — Filipino batok & Polynesian · California
Founder of the Mark of the Four Waves Tribe, an educator on Filipino batok whose practice is often documented alongside Hawaiian kākau in Pacific tribal press.
Tattooist
Style — Tahitian tatau · Tahiti
Tahitian tatau artist cited in La Dépêche de Tahiti's ongoing coverage of French Polynesian tattoo festivals.
Tattooist
Style — Cook Islands tā revival · Aotearoa
Cook Islands Māori tattooist documented in Cook Islands News coverage of the Te Vaka Tatau collective's revival work.
Tā moko artist
Style — Kauae moko · Aotearoa
Wāhine Māori tā moko artist profiled in NZ Herald coverage of the kauae moko revival among younger Māori women.
Tattooist
Style — Samoan tatau (machine) · Wellington, Aotearoa
Aotearoa-Samoan tattooist featured in Radio New Zealand and Pacific Media Network coverage of the tatau revival in the diaspora.
Tattoo artist
Style — Patutiki & Polynesian tribal (machine) · Bordeaux-Pessac, France
Certified Polynesian tattoo artist based in Bordeaux specialising in Marquesan patutiki and pan-Polynesian tribal work. Runs the Tapati Tattoo studio serving southwestern France.
Studio (single-artist specialist)
Style — Samoan, Marquesan & Māori tribal (machine) · Paris 10e, France
Single-artist Paris studio dedicated to Polynesian tattooing — Samoan, Marquesan, Māori and pan-Polynesian tribal — five minutes from Gare du Nord.
Tattoo artist
Style — Marquesan & Polynesian symbolic (machine) · Nancy (54), France
Marquesan-heritage tattooist working from Nancy in eastern France. Runs Kiva Tattoo and specialises in symbolic Polynesian, Marquesan and Māori-influenced designs, each customised to the wearer's story.
Tattoo artist & shop owner
Style — Polynesian tribal (machine) · Brittany, France
Bretagne-based Polynesian tattooist trading as Hoata Tiki Tattoo, working custom Polynesian pieces alongside a small Polynesian goods boutique.
Tattoo artist
Style — Polynesian tribal & Māori-inspired (machine) · Sanary-sur-Mer (Var), France
Runs Fenua Tattoo on the French Riviera with over 25 years working in Polynesian tribal and Māori-influenced styles, one of the longest-standing Polynesian specialists in southern France.
Tattoo artist
Style — Polynesian & Māori tribal (machine) · Germany
French-Dutch tattooist raised on Moorea in the Society Islands with over 15 years' experience. Now based in Germany, specialising in Polynesian and Māori-influenced tattooing under the name Temata.
Studio
Style — Traditional Polynesian & Marquesan (machine) · France
France-based studio dedicated to traditional Polynesian and Marquesan tattooing, with a strong focus on the visual language of the Marquesas Islands.
Tattoo artist
Style — Contemporary Polynesian (machine) · Southern California, USA
Samoan-American tattooist raised between Hawai'i and California with over fifteen years learning from influential Polynesian and Pacific tattooists in Los Angeles and Honolulu. Represented by Tatau Brand.
Cultural tattoo artist
Style — Polynesian, Micronesian & Melanesian tribal · Los Angeles, California, USA
Los Angeles cultural tattoo artist with 20+ years working Pacific Island, Polynesian, Micronesian and Melanesian tribal art. Public studio site documents the practice as narrative work rooted in Pacific symbol systems.
Tattoo artist
Style — Polynesian tribal & ornamental · Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam-based tattooist specialising in Polynesian-inspired tribal and ornamental work, guesting regularly in Germany and Belgium. Focuses on Marquesan, Māori and Samoan visual language.
Tattoo artist
Style — Ta Moko-inspired & Polynesian tribal · United Kingdom
UK-based tattoo artist with over 30 years' experience specialising in Māori-inspired and Polynesian tribal work, travelling to international conventions and guest spots.
Tattoo studio
Style — Māori, Polynesian & tribal · Rome, Italy
Rome studio with a dedicated Māori, Polynesian and tribal programme, publishing detailed cultural context alongside custom designs.
Tattoo artist
Style — Polynesian & Celtic tribal · Carlisle, Cumbria, UK
Runs InkSpot Carlisle in northern England with a dedicated tribal programme spanning Polynesian and Celtic traditions, working from research-backed custom designs.
Tattoo studio
Style — Polynesian & Māori tribal · Barcelona, Spain
Barcelona studio dedicated to Polynesian and Māori tribal tattooing, offering multi-hour custom sessions from a single-focus Polynesian programme.
Tattoo artist
Style — Polynesian, Nordic & Borneo tribal · Ajalvir, Madrid, Spain
Madrid-region specialist in freehand tribal work — Polynesian, Nordic and Borneo — with more than 28 years of practice, working almost exclusively in black ink.
Tattoo artist
Style — Samoan & Polynesian tribal · Angers, Pays de la Loire, France
Resident Polynesian specialist at Antik Tatoo in Angers, focused on Samoan-influenced designs alongside broader Polynesian tribal work.
Tattoo studio
Style — Māori & Polynesian tribal (kirituhi) · Dublin 2, Ireland
Long-running Dublin studio with a dedicated Māori and Polynesian programme. Every piece is custom-composed in consultation and clearly positioned as kirituhi — Māori-inspired tattooing for non-Māori clients.
Tattoo artist · studio owner
Style — Polynesian, feminine ornamental & geometric dotwork · Poland
Founder of Avalan Tattoo, creating Polynesian tattoos since 2012 and running her own studio since 2016. Award-winning at Polish and international conventions in London, Florence, Milan, Berlin, Venice and beyond.
Tattoo artist · studio owner
Style — Ornamental line work, Māori & Polynesian tribal · Dublin, Ireland
Runs Spider Ink in Dublin with over 30 years of experience in ornamental and tribal tattooing, specialising in Māori and Polynesian-influenced geometric line work.
Tattoo artist
Style — Tribal, Polynesian, Māori & Celtic · London, United Kingdom
London-based tattooist at Pink Tattoo & Piercing whose programme is built around tribal traditions — Polynesian, Māori and Celtic — treated as a shared visual language.
Tattoo artist · studio owner
Style — Freehand Māori, Tahitian, Samoan, Hawaiian & Borneo · Winterthur, Switzerland
Tattooing since 1998 from the Maohi Room in Winterthur, Switzerland, with 25+ years focused on Polynesian, Māori, Tahitian, Hawaiian, Samoan and Borneo tribal work — every piece composed freehand on the client.
Tattoo studio
Style — Polynesian tribal · Geneva, Switzerland
Geneva studio dedicated to Polynesian tattooing, publishing detailed cultural context for each motif and running a single-focus Polynesian programme in French-speaking Switzerland.
Tattoo studio
Style — Māori & Polynesian tribal · Bern, Switzerland
Bern-based studio with a dedicated Māori-Polynesian programme, offering free consultations and freehand custom Polynesian tattoos as a headline specialty.
Tattoo studio
Style — Tā moko-inspired & Polynesian · London, United Kingdom
London studio specialising in original body art rooted in traditional forms of tā moko, Māori and Polynesian tattoo, working consultatively with each client.
Tattoo artist
Style — Freehand Polynesian & Māori · Hereford, United Kingdom
Freehand Polynesian and Māori specialist at Skinzophrenic Tattoos in Hereford, England — every design applied without stencils so it flows with the wearer's anatomy.
Additional documented practitioners & preservationists
Individuals and collectives named in academic, museum, national gallery, or project sources — grouped by tradition, each linked to its citation. Not a personal endorsement; these are the practitioners the public record documents. For the full sourced research, see the reference guide.
Mike Tavioni (born 1947 ) is a world-renowned artist and cultural icon from the Cook Islands, recognized as a taonga (treasure). He is a master carver, poet, painter, tattoo artist, stone, wood, and bone carver, author, and social commentator. He is concerned with the perpetuation of Cook Island skills and traditional art.
Source — Wikipedia, "Mike Tavioni"; Cook Islands Tourism, "Mike Tavioni"; Instagram, "@miketavioni".
Croc Coulter is an Englishman living in Rarotonga who has become a master of traditional tattooing.
Source — YouTube, "Learning the Art of Traditional Tattooing on the Cook Islands," October 30, 2016.
Clive Nicholas is a professional tattooist of 16 years, specializing in Polynesian old and new art, and was taught by a master.
Source — Instagram, "@poly_tattscook_islands."
Tetini Pekepo, also known as "T," is a tattoo artist from Rarotonga, specializing in Polynesian (Maori-Cook Island Maori ) inspired tattoos.
Source — Reddit, "Tattoo DONE BY Tetini Pekepo AKA "T". Rarotonga, Cook ...," 5 years ago.
Stormy Kara is from the Cook Islands and is based out of Pacific Ink's Kareha Art Studio in Rarotonga.
Source — Art Body, "STORMY."
The Veiqia Project is a creative research project inspired by the practice of Fijian female tattooing, involving a collective of Fijian women artists dedicated to its revitalization.
Source — The Veiqia Project, "About", The Veiqia Project, Unknown.
Key individuals involved in The Veiqia Project include Joana Monolagi, Dr. Tarisi Vunidilo, Luisa Keteiyau Tora, Donita Vatuinaruku Hulme, Dulcie Stewart, Margaret Aull, and Yasbelle Kerkow. These individuals have contributed to research, exhibitions, and the creation of new artwork inspired by veiqia.
Source — The Veiqia Project, "About", The Veiqia Project, Unknown.
In 2008, Luisa Tora, Cresantia (Frances ) Koya Vaka’uta, Ann Tarte, and Jakki Mua co-curated the exhibition, VASU: Pacific Women of Power, which stimulated discussion around the lost art of female tattooing in Fiji.
Source — The Veiqia Project, "About", The Veiqia Project, Unknown.
Dr. Tarisi Vunidilo designed and implemented the inaugural Marama Ni Viti course for the Pasifika Education Centre in South Auckland, focusing on Fijian women and leadership and cultural knowledge.
Source — The Veiqia Project, "About", The Veiqia Project, Unknown.
Luisa Tora undertook an internship with the Pacific Curator’s Desk at Auckland Museum, working on projects that included selecting Fijian tattoo combs from the collection and writing descriptions.
Source — The Veiqia Project, "About", The Veiqia Project, Unknown.
Keone Nunes is a master of traditional Hawaiian Kākau, who has taught the art for more than two decades. He is credited with reviving the nearly lost art of Native Hawaiian tattooing.
Source — "Reviving the Nearly Lost Art of Native Hawaiian Tattooing," American Indian Magazine, Unknown.
Keliʻi Makua is a Kahuna Kā Uhi (Uhi Master ), who apprenticed under Keone Nunes for nearly three decades. He is the only Hawaiian in 200 years to have received the honor of conducting the uniki (ceremony) as Kahuna Kā Uhi.
Source — "Kākau: Traditional Art of Hawaiian Tattooing," Just Living 808, Unknown.
Keliʻi Makua is focused on revitalizing the practice of Kākau Uhi using the traditional method of aʻo aku, aʻo mai (teaching and learning ).
Source — "Keoneʻulaokamakauhi Keliʻiokalani Teawenohoitalani Mākua," Native Arts and Cultures Foundation, Unknown.
In the Marquesas, traditional tattoo artists were known as tuhuka or tuhuna patu tiki.
Source — Aranui, "Māori tattoo : History and origins of an ancestral Polynesian art", aranui.com, Unknown
Tuhuna patu tiki translates to "one who strikes or marks designs" and worked under the protection of a patron deity.
Source — Lars Krutak, "In 1891, German explorer and ethnologist Karl von den Steinen...", facebook.com/larskrutak, 2025-06-11
The office of tuhuna was hereditary, with each great family having its own tattooists trained across generations.
Source — Lars Krutak, "In 1891, German explorer and ethnologist Karl von den Steinen...", facebook.com/larskrutak, 2025-06-11
Heretu Tetahiotupa is a native Marquesan filmmaker who directed "Patutiki: The Guardians of the Marquesan Tattoo," a documentary exploring the art form's cultural roots and spiritual dimension.
Source — National Gallery of Australia, "Patutiki: The Guardians of the Marquesan Tattoo", nga.gov.au, Unknown
Philippe Aukara is a Tahitian tattoo artist based in Papeete, who practices both modern Polynesian tattooing (a mix of cultures with shading ) and Marquesan tattooing (Patutiki, with more black flat tints and no shading).
Source — Ponant, "Polynesian Tattoos: A History", escales.ponant.com, 2026-03-02
Eddy Tata, born on the Marquesas Island of Ua Pou, is a resident traditional Polynesian tattoo artist on the Aranui 5 passenger ship. He learned from his uncle, Moana Kohumoetini, and creates unique designs based on passengers' personal stories.
Source — Aranui, "Māori tattoo : History and origins of an ancestral Polynesian art", aranui.com, Unknown
The Māori tattoo artist is called the tohunga ta moko, meaning moko specialist. These artists are highly respected and considered tapu (inviolable or holy ).
Source — Zealand Tattoo, "Maori Tattoo: The Definitive Guide to Ta Moko", ZealandTattoo.co.nz, Unknown
Sir Derek Lardelli is a contemporary master tattooist who has contributed to the understanding and revival of Tā Moko artistry through research into ancient preserved Māori heads (toi moko ) at Te Papa, the national museum. His work has shaped contemporary moko artists' understanding of traditional delivery and the total understanding of human form by ancestral artists.
Source — The Guardian, "Ancient preserved heads give up their secrets as Māori tattoos see ...", theguardian.com, 2025-10-18
Raniera McGrath is a master artist who offered Raniera Warren a moko kanohi (full facial tattoo ). (Specific lineage and further contributions not detailed in source).
Source — The Guardian, "Ancient preserved heads give up their secrets as Māori tattoos see ...", theguardian.com, 2025-10-18
Henriata Nicholas of Rotorua is an artist known for working with traditional hand-made tools. (Specific lineage and further contributions not detailed in source ).
Source — New Zealand.com, "Tā moko: traditional Māori tattoo", newzealand.com, Unknown
Tristan Marler of Manawa Tapu, based in Titirangi, Auckland, is a leading Tā Moko and toi Māori practitioner specializing in traditional and contemporary Māori art. (Specific lineage and further contributions not detailed in source ).
Source — Instagram, "Maori Tattoo Artist Auckland", instagram.com, Unknown
Tim Hunt is a highly skilled artist in contemporary Maori and Polynesian styled work, sensitive to cultural appropriation issues. (Specific lineage and further contributions not detailed in source ).
Source — Reddit, "Best traditional maori tattoo artists?", reddit.com, 2015-10-08
The role of tufuga ta tatau (master tattooist ) has been maintained for centuries through hereditary succession within two clans: the Sa Su'a family from Savai'i and the Sa Tulou'ena family from Upolu. These families hold the knowledge, tools, and authority to perform the tatau.
Source — The Koko Samoa, Samoan Tatau: Sacred Meaning of the Pe'a and Malu, The Koko Samoa, 2025
Su'a Sulu'ape Paulo II (1949/1950 – 1999 ) was a prominent tufuga ta tatau from Matafa'a, Samoa, based in New Zealand since the 1970s. He was born into one of the leading families of tattooists in Samoa and contributed to sharing the art form beyond the Samoan community, developing international connections with tattooists across the world.
Source — Wikipedia, Su'a Sulu'ape Paulo II, Wikipedia, Unknown
Su'a Sulu'ape Paulo II's father was Sulu'ape Paulo I, and his brothers Su'a Sulu'ape Petelo, Su'a Sulu'ape Alaiva'a Petelo, and Su'a Sulu'ape Lafaele are also respected master tattooists.
Source — Wikipedia, Su'a Sulu'ape Paulo II, Wikipedia, Unknown
Su'a Uilisone Fitiao is a tufuga ta tatau and one of the founding members of Folauga o le Tatau Malaga Aganu’u Fa’asamoa (Fa’asamoa Arts ). He trained for 7 years with tattoo masters in Samoa and has dedicated his life to sharing Samoan indigenous arts, particularly tatau, with people of all backgrounds globally, emphasizing respect for the culture.
Source — Fa'asamoa Arts, The Traveling Tufuga Ta Tatau: Samoan Tattooing Around the World, Fa'asamoa Arts, 2023
The Sulu'ape family, based globally including Samoa and Aotearoa New Zealand, are recognized as Tufuga tātatau, masters of tātatau, and are considered custodians of the tradition.
Source — Auckland Museum, The art of Samoan tātatau and tatau (tattooing and tattoo ), Auckland Museum, 2016 (Updated 2021)
Su'a Sulu'ape Alaiva'a Petelo has maintained and extended the influence of the Sulu'ape family internationally since Paulo's death, with his sons also continuing the tradition.
Source — Wikipedia, Su'a Sulu'ape Paulo II, Wikipedia, Unknown
James Samuela is a native Tahitian master tattooist whose ancestors were among the first tattoo artists in Tahiti. He began tattooing professionally in 1996.
Source — Moorea Tattoo, "POLYNESIAN TATTOO | Tahitian Tattoo Artist on Moorea, French Polynesia", Moorea Tattoo, Unknown
Manu Farrarons is a documented Tahitian tattoo artist.
Source — Facebook, "Getting a Polynesian tattoo in Tahiti with Manu Farrarons", Facebook, 2022
Philippe Aukara, a Marquesan tattoo artist based in Papeete, practices various tattooing styles, including modern Polynesian tattooing and Marquesan tattooing, contributing to the preservation of Polynesian tattoo history and techniques.
Source — PONANT US Magazine, "The Polynesian tattoo: a history", PONANT US Magazine, 2024
Suʻa Suluʻape ʻAisea Toetuʻu is a world-renowned tattoo artist of Tongan and Filipino descent, based in Hawaiʻi. He apprenticed under Samoan master tattooist Suʻa Suluʻape Alaivaʻa and was instrumental in the revival of traditional Tongan tatatau. In 2010, he demonstrated tatatau in Tonga, tattooing members of the royal family, and aims to institutionalize the practice within the Tongan village environment.
Source — Soul Signature Tattoo, Sua Suluape Toeutu'u Aisea, Soul Signature Tattoo, Unknown ; Matador Network, Tattooing and Traditional Tongan Tattoo, Matador Network, 2012
Suʻa Suluʻape Alaivaʻa is a Samoan master tattooist who mentored Suʻa Suluʻape ʻAisea Toetuʻu. His knowledge of traditional tattooing was crucial in outlining and reviving Tongan tatatau.
Source — Matador Network, Tattooing and Traditional Tongan Tattoo, Matador Network, 2012
Terje Koloamatangi is a Tongan artist and cultural tattoo practitioner (Tufunga Tātatau ) dedicated to the revival of tātatau faka-Tonga.
Source — Te Papa, Tongan tattooing: Reconnecting to fonua across time and space, Te Papa, 2022
Carl Cocker is a renowned New Zealand Tongan Polynesian tattoo artist and the founder of Kalia Tattoo, specializing in both traditional and contemporary Polynesian tattoo styles.
Source — Kalia Tattoo, Discover Polynesian Tattoo Designs by Tonga, Kalia Tattoo, Unknown
A note on inclusion. Many extraordinary practitioners are not listed because their public documentation is limited to social media. Omission is not a judgement of skill or standing — this list cites only independently verifiable public sources (142 figures shown). Corrections and source suggestions are welcome.
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