Tattoo of Kōtuku

DESCRIPTION AND MEANING:

The white heron is a rare and revered bird for Maori people and its feathers were kept exclusively for chieftains of highest rank.

In Maori legends, the kōtuku accompanied the spirits of the dead back to the land of their ancestors.

This kirituhi Maori style heron was designed for Evey and it symbolizes rebirth, a voyage that connects death and life, from the wave with the path of Kamehameha to the sun, giving us the knowledge that every moment must be lived fully (the stones and the flower of hibiscus).

The word "compassion" was disguised within the wave as Morse code.