Tattoo of Kumu

DESCRIPTION AND MEANING:

Despite having grown on the mainland in the USA, Dane has Hawaiian roots that he´s now getting closer to, and this half sleeve tattoo wants to honor them while telling his story.

The kumu symbol in the center symbolizes origins and it´s surrounded by the ocean, which has always been a big part of his life.
The wa´a above it represents this connection and it also stands for ancestors; for this reason we placed the koa´e´ula above it representing a voyager that travels back home.

The flight of the albatross motifs (molina) that go from the tropic bird to the lo kahi on top, show his voyage through life toward balance and harmony, with kuhanu along the path to represent how he finds his balance through creating.

The challenges faced along this path to success (the path of Kamehameha) are overcome with adaptability (niho mano) and tenacity (uhu), allowing him to find his balance both when alone (mauna) and among other people (ku pipi).

Maka ihe and lau hala represent a protector for family, while maha upena symbolizes prosperity.

Pikapika o ka hi at the base symbolizes his search for knowledge and capacity to improve in order to achieve his goals.
On the back of the shoulder, na iwi puhi offers protection, while the kupukupu on the front of the shoulder represents growth and descendants (lei hala also shows wisdom acquired, the knowledge he is learning from his roots).

Po is darkness, from where all life originates, and it was added both to symbolize creativity and to represent balance between darkness and light.

Another molina on top, surrounding the whole shoulder, symbolizes connection between past and future in his life´s journey.

The legenda below shows with the help of colors the individual elements within the tattoo: