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
Tufuga ta tatau (master tattooist) born in Matafa'a near Lefaga, Samoa, and based in New Zealand from the 1970s; he began tattooing in 1967. Wikipedia records that he shared his work in Europe, including residencies at the Tattoo Museum in Amsterdam, and served the Samoan diaspora in New Zealand, Australia and the United States. He died in 1999.
Tufuga tā tatau
Style — Hand-tap tatau · Sāmoa
Brother of Su'a Sulu'ape Paulo II, described by Wikipedia as a respected master tattooist. In 1985 he visited a tattoo convention in Rome at the invitation of American tattooist Don Ed Hardy.
Tufuga tā tatau
Style — Hand-tap tatau · Garden Grove, California
Owner of A-Town Tattoo in Garden Grove, California, one of the few places in the United States offering traditional Samoan tatau. LAist reports that the Sulu'ape family gave him their blessing to do tatau, and that he is half Samoan and wears a pe'a himself.
Traditional Hawaiian tattooist (uhi)
Style — Uhi hand-tap kākau · Waiʻanae, Oʻahu
Native Hawaiian master tattooist from Waiʻanae. First Peoples Fund describes him as at the forefront of the movement to bring uhi (traditional tattooing) back to the islands, using traditional Hawaiian/Polynesian tools exclusively since 1999, and named him a 2015 Community Spirit Award honoree. He leads apprentice students; First Peoples Fund also refers to him as Su'a Sulu'ape Keone Nunes.
Tā moko artist & carver
Style — Tā moko (uhi chisel) · Aotearoa New Zealand
Of Ngāti Ira, Te Aitanga a Hauiti and Ngāti Porou, raised in Mangatuna. Toi Iho describes him as a master carver who has led the creation of several wharenui, and as a highly respected moko artist and mentor who has trained several practitioners and served for many years on the board of Toi Māori. Kōmako records that he was born in Gisborne.
Historian, author, tattoo artist
Style — Research & practice · Hawaiʻi
Anthropologist and tattooist; author of Tattoo Traditions of Hawaiʻi (Mutual Publishing), a reference book on Hawaiian tattooing.
Tā moko artist
Style — Tā moko, moko kauae · Te Araroa, Te Tairāwhiti, Aotearoa New Zealand
Tā moko artist based at Te Araroa whose work in the revival of moko kauae is the subject of Tracey Cooper's book Mokolife. Her mentors include tohunga moko Mark Kopua and Sir Derek Lardelli; the book draws on interviews with wāhine who received moko kauae from her, particularly in Ngāti Porou and Te Whānau-a-Apanui.
Tufuga tātatau (Art of Pain — Samoan Traditional Tattoo)
Style — Customary Samoan tatau — pe'a and malu · Sāmoa (works internationally)
Samoa News (2023) describes him as a master tattooist who tattoos le tatau and le malu in Europe and the Pacific, marketing his work under his own name and as "Art of Pain — Samoan Traditional Tattoo"; it reported him tattooing at Tisa's Tattoo Festival in American Samoa. In the interview he said he began following his late father to tattoo events in 2011, learned the art by 2013 and became a soga'imiti in February 2014.
Tufuga ta tatau
Style — Customary Samoan tatau — pe'a and malu · Sāmoa / Aotearoa New Zealand
Tufuga ta tatau (Li'aifaiva Imo Lavea Levi) who tattooed the malu of New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni. NZ Herald reports his clients have included boxer David Tua, actor Tanoai Reed and Sol3 Mio tenor Amitai Pati, and that each tatau client is gifted a special ie lavalava on completion.
Tufuga ta tatau
Style — Customary Samoan tatau — pe'a · American Samoa
Tufuga ta tatau and a founding member of Folauga o le Tatau Malaga Aganu'u Fa'asamoa (Fa'asamoa Arts), per Moonah Arts Centre in Tasmania, which hosted his traditional Samoan tattoo demonstrations in March 2025. An American Samoa Government festival programme lists him with American Samoa's Heritage Arts (Tatau) team, accompanied by his apprentice Mark Iulio.
Tufunga tātatau, Small Axe Studio
Style — Customary Tongan tātatau, hand-tapped · Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland), Aotearoa New Zealand
Of Tongan and Norwegian Sami ancestry, born in Nukuʻalofa. Te Papa describes his work as centred on the revival of tātatau faka-Tonga for over 20 years, built on historical texts, museum collections and Tongan oral tradition. The podcast Arciatecun notes he works from Small Axe Studio and received and learned tātatau from Su'a Sulu'ape Paulo II.
Tufuga tā tatau
Style — Hand-tap tatau (pe'a & malu) · Sāmoa
Brother of Su'a Sulu'ape Paulo II, described by Wikipedia as a respected master tattooist of the Sulu'ape family.
Tā moko artist
Style — Tā moko · Aotearoa
Tā moko artist quoted in Artonview magazine (via Wikipedia's Tā moko article) on how the practice has changed; the same article notes he received moko to mark his graduation from a bachelor's degree in Māori studies. Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi reported in 2025 that his PhD research there focuses on reinstating moko as a rite of passage for Ngāti Awa.
Curator & author, Te Papa
Style — History & documentation · Wellington, Aotearoa
Senior Curator Pacific Cultures at Te Papa, of Sāmoan and Irish descent. Co-author with Sébastien Galliot of Tatau: A History of Sāmoan Tattooing, which won an Ockham Award in 2019.
Filmmaker & advocate
Style — Documentary on Samoan tattooing · Wellington, Aotearoa
Writer and filmmaker who grew up in her father's village in Samoa; her documentaries include Savage Symbols, on Samoan tattooing (NZ On Screen).
Cultural knowledge holder
Style — Tahitian tatau · French Polynesia
Subject of the book Tatu art n° 2: Raymond Teriirooterai Arioi Graffe — paroles d'ancien; credited with texts in the photo book Tahiti Tattoos (Taschen, 1998).
Author
Style — Patutiki research & practice · Marquesas
Author of Hamani haá tuhuka: Te patutiki, a Marquesan–French dictionary of Marquesan tattooing (Tiki éditions, 2011), followed by a second volume.
Kā Uhi (titled practitioner)
Style — Kākau uhi (hand-tapped Hawaiian tattoo) · Mākaha, Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi
Hawaiian tattoo artist who works by hand-tapping with a mōlī at his home studio in Mākaha. Hawaiʻi Public Radio (2017) reported he had studied the practice for nearly three decades. Ka Wai Ola (2021) names him as a student of Keone Nunes holding the title Kā Uhi.
Kā Uhi (titled practitioner)
Style — Kākau uhi · Hawaiʻi
Student of Keone Nunes who was given the title Kā Uhi at an ʻuniki (graduation) ceremony at Puʻu o Hulu, Waiʻanae, in 2019, as reported by Ka Wai Ola.
Tā moko artist, Toi Ake studio
Style — Tā moko · Gisborne (Tūranga), Aotearoa New Zealand
Tā moko artist with Toi Ake, a contemporary Māori art studio in Tūranga (Gisborne) specialising in tā moko (Te Tairāwhiti Arts Festival). Toi Māori Aotearoa lists him on the committee of Te Uhi ā Mataora, the national tā moko collective, and Te Papa (2025) named him among the artists applying moko kanohi at Te Mātātuhi ki Te Papa.
Tā moko artist, Toi Ake studio
Style — Tā moko · Gisborne (Tūranga), Aotearoa New Zealand
Tā moko artist with Toi Ake, a contemporary Māori art studio in Tūranga (Gisborne) specialising in tā moko (Te Tairāwhiti Arts Festival). Toi Māori Aotearoa lists Maia Gibbs on the committee of Te Uhi ā Mataora, the national tā moko collective, and Te Papa (2025) named her among the artists applying moko kanohi at Te Mātātuhi ki Te Papa.
Tattoo artist; Tatau Le Toa studio
Style — Hand-tapped Samoan tatau · St. Albert, Alberta, Canada
Samoan tattoo artist who practises the traditional hand-tapping method. St. Albert Gazette reports he started learning at age seven alongside his uncle, and practises at Tatau Le Toa ("Tattoo the Strong"), described as St. Albert's first fully Indigenous-owned tattoo studio.
Tattoo artist; Soane Tattoo
Style — Wallisian, Samoan and Māori-inspired tattoo · La Flotte, Île de Ré, France
Local news site Ré à la Hune profiles Soane Tauataina Paninia as a Polynesian tattoo artist originally from Wallis and Futuna who settled in La Flotte on Île de Ré, where he practises Māori-, Wallisian- and Samoan-inspired tattooing.
Tufuga tātatau; Vaeau Family Studio
Style — Tatau · Grey Lynn, Auckland, Aotearoa
ABC Pacific (2024) describes Tyla Vaeau as a tufuga tātatau and one of the first Samoan women given the ʻau tool by the Sa Suʻa family. Vaeau Family Studio's site describes it as a studio space in Grey Lynn, Tāmaki Makaurau, taking bookings for Tyla and Hiram.
Tattoo artist; Tupa Tatau Studio
Style — Rapa Nui / Polynesian tattoo · Hanga Roa, Rapa Nui
The National (UAE) describes Andrés Pakarati as an artist, tattooist and traditional Polynesian carver from Rapa Nui. His studio's site says he founded Tupa Tatau Studio in Hanga Roa.
Owner, A-Town Tattoo
Style — Samoan tatau (hand tools) · Garden Grove, California
NBC Los Angeles and the Orange County Register report he owns A-Town Tattoo in Garden Grove and performs the Samoan peʻa with hand tools; the Register says he studied hand tattooing with a prominent Samoan family. LAist described A-Town as one of the few US shops offering traditional Samoan tatau.
Tattoo artist; founder, Tatau Legacy
Style — Society Islands tātau motifs, Patutiki · Papeete, Tahiti
Hommes de Polynésie profiles Teaniva Dinard's work to revive tattoo motifs of the Society Islands. MOTU Magazine featured the artists of his Papeete shop, Tatau Legacy.
Tattoo artist; Moorea Tattoo
Style — Tahitian tatau · Moorea, French Polynesia
National Geographic's feature on Polynesian tattooing describes a tatau session with James Samuela at his studio on Moorea. His studio, Moorea Tattoo, has its own site naming him.
Modern founders
Living artists credited with popularizing a specific style, technique, or platform in contemporary Polynesian tattoo.
Founder, Frost City Tatau
Style — Freehand Polynesian · Midvale, Utah
Founder of Frost City Tattoo in Midvale, Utah (PBS Utah). Fox 13 reported in 2017 that he specialises in motifs drawn from Polynesian tatau, has a waiting list of about seven months, and counts NFL players among his clients.
Founder, IslandTAT
Style — Freehand Polynesian compositions · Lemon Grove, California
The Coconet TV credits Chamorro tattoo artist Joshawa Elsas with recording artist Jidenna's Polynesian sleeve. He is the founder of IslandTAT and author of The Polynesian Tattoo: Code (both per his own studio and publisher listings).
Founder, Maia Ink
Style — Tā moko, kirituhi, traditional and contemporary designs · Papakura, Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand
Of Ngāti Kahungunu and Falealili descent, Roberts founded Maia Ink, a Papakura studio offering tā moko and kirituhi alongside other traditional and contemporary designs. RNZ reports he is self-taught, bought his first tattoo machine in 2011, and has tattooed clients including SZA, Kehlani and RJ Hampton.
Founder, Mau Studio Ink
Style — Tā moko, Toi Māori design · Tūrangi, Aotearoa New Zealand
Tā moko artist from Uawa and founder of Mau Studio Ink. He focused on Toi Māori from age 12, studied teaching at the University of Waikato, and trained in whakairo (carving) at the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute (NZMACI) in Rotorua before teaching art and whakairo at a kura in Tūrangi.
Tattoo artist, Mana'o Tattoo
Style — Contemporary Polynesian pattern design · Tahiti, French Polynesia
Polynesian tattoo artist born in 1967 in Cholet, France, who spent his childhood in Tahiti. Wikipedia records that he has tattooed professionally since 1991 and took over his father's tattoo shop in Papeete, renaming it Mana'o Tattoo; his own site says he tattooed in Los Angeles for more than six years before returning to Tahiti, where he works from a private studio.
Tattooist
Style — Contemporary Samoan / Pasifika · New Lynn, Auckland
Auckland tattooist of Chinese-Samoan descent with a studio in New Lynn. NZ Herald reports he was recognised as a senior artist by Creative New Zealand at the Arts Pasifika Awards and is responsible for designs on some of New Zealand's best-known sports stars.
Tattoo artist, China Sea Tattoo
Style — Old-school Hawaiian tattoo lineage · Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
Tattoo Archive records that after Sailor Jerry Collins died in 1973, Malone bought Collins's Hotel Street shop in Honolulu, renamed it China Sea Tattoo Company and kept it until 2001.
Tattoo artist
Style — Tattoo artist · USA
American tattoo artist from Pittsburgh, known for appearing on the reality series Miami Ink.
Artist & cultural practitioner
Style — Veiqia revival · Auckland, Aotearoa
Fijian artist who took part in The Veiqia Project from 2015 and co-facilitated a course on Fijian women, leadership and cultural knowledge (The Veiqia Project).
Artist, The Veiqia Project
Style — Veiqia (contemporary) · Aotearoa
One of five Fijian artists who joined The Veiqia Project's shared research and museum visits in 2015 (The Veiqia Project).
Artist
Style — Samoan motif painting & printmaking · Auckland, Aotearoa
Samoan/New Zealand painter, sculptor and printmaker whose work blends traditional and contemporary Samoan visual motifs (Auckland Art Gallery).
Author & historian
Style — Tā moko scholarship · Aotearoa
Co-author of Mau Moko: The World of Māori Tattoo (Penguin).
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.
Tattoo artist
Style — Contemporary Polynesian (machine) · Southern California, USA
Tattoo artist listed on the Tatau Brand artist roster.
Tā moko artist; Professor at Toihoukura, EIT
Style — Tā moko · Gisborne (Tairāwhiti), Aotearoa New Zealand
Tā moko artist, painter, carver and composer who affiliates to Ngāti Porou and Rongowhakaata. He is a professor at Toihoukura, EIT's school of Māori visual arts in Gisborne, and chairs the Te Uhi a Mataora tā moko arts collective. He received an Arts Foundation Laureate Award in 2004, was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2008 for services to Māori arts, in particular tā moko, and was knighted in 2020. He composed the All Blacks' Kapa o Pango haka (2005).
Tattoo artist
Style — Traditional Rapa Nui designs · Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Chile
Rapa Nui tattoo artist who works under the name Mokomae, taken from an ancestor of the Ure tribe. Correo Cultural (2011) reported he was invited to Caracas's Sixth World Body Art Meeting, that he is self-taught, credits Tricia Allen with teaching him hygiene practice, and tattoos only Polynesian designs. Moevarua identifies him as Luis "Tito" Hormazábal Araki.
Tā moko artist and teacher; founding member, Moana Moko
Style — Tā moko · Tauranga, Aotearoa New Zealand
Tauranga tā moko artist and teacher with whakapapa links to Ngāti Rehua, Te Moutere o Aotea and Ngāti Maika. RNZ (2018) reports he began doing moko while studying at the University of Waikato in the mid-1990s and was a founding member of the Tauranga collective Moana Moko in 2010.
Tattoo artist and co-founder, Friendly Island Tattoo
Style — Polynesian tattoo · El Cajon (San Diego County), California
Tongan tattoo artist. ABC 10News (2026) reports he was born and raised on Vavaʻu, Tonga, moved to the United States roughly a decade ago, and works at his shop, Friendly Island Tattoo. The studio's own page says he and his wife started the studio in June 2024.
Tattoo artist; founder, Doko Ink
Style — Polynesian tattoo · Erding, Germany
Tongan tattoo artist trained in Aotearoa New Zealand. Pacific Media Network (2026) reports he left Tonga for Aotearoa in 2008, trained under Tongan tattooist Carl Cocker, and established Doko Ink, a studio in Erding, Germany, dedicated to Polynesian tattoo patterns.
Tattoo artist; founder, Kalia Tattoo
Style — Polynesian tattoo · Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand (as reported in 2014)
Tongan tattoo artist and founder of Kalia Tattoo. In a 2014 Tat2X interview he said he had been tattooing since 2001, apprenticed at a studio in Kuala Lumpur, and ran his own tattoo shop in Auckland. Pacific Media Network (2026) names him as the Tongan tattooist who mentored Mana Fifita.
Tattoo artist; founder, Kaʻeo Hawaii
Style — Polynesian tattoo · Kailua-Kona, Hawaiʻi
Kona tattoo artist. West Hawaii Today (2019) reports he had been self-employed as a tattoo artist since 2004 and opened his Kona shop, Kaʻeo Hawaii, in 2014. Big Island Now (2026) reports his daughter Mehana took over the business in 2022 and grew it into a creative studio in Kona, with space kept for him to tattoo.
Tattoo artist; co-owner, Earthbound Tattoo Studio
Style — Neo-Polynesian, tribal · Sand City, California
Native Hawaiian tattoo artist. NBC News (2017) reports she is co-owner of Earthbound Tattoo Studio in Sand City, California, and creates customized neo-Polynesian, tribal and lettering designs.
Tattoo artist; KareHa studio
Style — Cook Islands tatau · Rarotonga, Cook Islands
Cook Islands tattoo artist. Cook Islands News (2016) reports she grew up in New Zealand and returned to the Cook Islands to continue her work in Cook Islands body art. The Coconet features her tattoo and art studio, KareHa, in Rarotonga.
Tattoo artist; Temauri Tattoo Shop
Style — Patutiki, modern Polynesian, Samoan and Māori-style · Le Thoronet (Var), France
iNKPPL Tattoo Magazine describes Temauri Jouot as a French tattoo artist with Polynesian roots who specialises in Polynesian styles including Patutiki, modern Polynesian, Samoan and Māori. His studio's own site lists Temauri Tattoo Shop in Le Thoronet, France.
Tattoo artist; founder, Hive Tattoo Art Gallery
Style — Māori, Marquesan and Polynesian tattoo · Milan, Italy
Collectible DRY Magazine and L'Officiel Italia both profile Luigi Marchini's Polynesian and Māori-style tattooing and his Hive Tattoo Art Gallery in Milan. His studio's site describes his work in Māori, Marquesan and Polynesian tattoos.
Tattoo artist; Wallace Tattoo Studio
Style — Polynesian and Marquesan tribal · Milan, Italy
Listed among the exhibiting artists of the Milano Tattoo Convention. His studio's own page says that since 2007 he has focused on traditional tribal styles, especially Polynesian and Marquesan.
Tā moko artist; co-founder, Ngā Manu a Toi
Style — Tā moko · New Lynn, Auckland, Aotearoa
Te Ao Māori News (2023) reports she opened her own tā moko studio, Mau Te Rongo, in New Lynn. The studio's site, Ngā Manu a Toi, says she established Mau Te Rongo and co-founded Ngā Manu a Toi.
Tā moko artist; co-founder, Ngā Manu a Toi
Style — Tā moko · New Lynn, Auckland, Aotearoa
NZ Herald (2015) names Hirini Katene as a tā moko artist working at the House of Natives in Māngere Bridge. Ngā Manu a Toi's site says the New Lynn studio was formed when he and Wairingiringi Toi combined their studios.
Owner, Kāʻeo Hawaiʻi Tattoo & Creative Studio
Style — Hawaiian / Polynesian tattoo · Kailua-Kona, Hawaiʻi
Big Island Now (2026) reports Mehana Pilago took over her father Che Pilago's tattoo business in 2022 and grew it into the Kāʻeo Hawaiʻi Tattoo and Creative Studio, an artist collective in Kailua-Kona. The studio's site lists her among its artists.
Tattoo artist; founder, Tattoo by Patu
Style — Polynesian tattoo · Papeete, Tahiti
TNTV reports Patu Mamatui has tattooed since age 11 and opened his own shop, Tattoo by Patu, in 2015. Outre-mer La 1ère profiled him as a figure of Tahiti's tattoo scene whose work draws on Tahitian culture.
Tattoo artist; East Coast Tattoos
Style — Freehand tribal / Pacific tattoo · Suva, Fiji
Fiji Sun profiled Aston Prescott as a young artist who turned tattooing into a business and operates his own studio. East Coast Tattoos' site says the Suva studio is led by him and specialises in freehand tribal tattoos.
Tattoo artist; Maohi Room at W84 Tattoo
Style — Freehand Polynesian · Winterthur, Switzerland
A World Tattoo Events interview describes Rod Medina as a tattooist with more than 30 years' experience involved in Polynesian tattoos and culture, working in Switzerland. W84 Tattoo's site names him and the Maohi Room.
Tattoo artist; studio founder
Style — Oceanic South Seas tribal, incl. kirituhi · IJmuiden, Netherlands
IJmuider Courant reports that Rob Deut and colleague Cees van Nobelen specialise in ethnic, Oceanic South Seas tribal tattooing, including the Māori kirituhi style, at his IJmuiden studio.
Owner, PolyAsh Tattoo
Style — Polynesian / Māori-style · Hamburg, Germany
Tattoo Spirit (2019) profiled PolyAsh Tattoo in Hamburg, describing Ashley Loth as specialised in Polynesian and Māori-style tattoos.
Resident tā moko artist, Te Puia
Style — Tā moko · Rotorua, Aotearoa
NZ Herald / Rotorua Daily Post and RNZ covered the 2018 opening of the tā moko studio at Te Puia in Rotorua, naming Jacob Tautari as one of its resident tā moko artists.
Owner, Kayon Tattoo Atelier
Style — Polynesian, Māori-style and Indonesian motifs · Berlin, Germany
The Jakarta Post (2020) profiled Bhoman F. Jamhari as a tattoo artist specialising in Polynesian, Māori and traditional Indonesian motifs, running his own studio in Berlin.
Tattoo artist, State of Grace Tattoo
Style — Polynesian tribal · San Jose, California
Content Magazine profiled Sefa Samatua's modern Samoan/Polynesian tribal approach, inspired by her grandfather's peʻa. Tattoo Life lists her among State of Grace Tattoo's artists in San Jose.
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.
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 ).
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.
The office of tuhuna was hereditary, with each great family having its own tattooists trained across generations.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 (65 figures shown). Corrections and source suggestions are welcome.
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