Fa'aipoipora'a

Design Story

This Polynesian half sleeve tattoo was designed for Benjamin to represent the story and love he shares with his wife. It includes Norse and Chinese elements as a reference to their heritage, and Hawaiian symbols to recall their favorite place.
Their voyage together is represented by the row of birds, along which some important dates have been disguised.
The braid symbolizes this union, a koru (new start) represents when they started their path together, and a double spiral when they got married.

The two labradors (in Norse style) represent their dogs and they are a symbol of loyalty and commitment.

The manta and the dolphin represent freedom, elegance, and beauty, with a flower of hibiscus in it for femininity and living every moment fully, and they protect the central turtle (family) that includes the couple symbol and flax leaves to symbolize union, protecting their children under the front flippers.
The sun made of mountains around the couple symbolizes joy and stability, and it shapes a twist together with a second sun surrounding a Marquesan cross, a fish hook, and a seashell, to symbolize harmony and balance, prosperity, love, and intimacy.

The path of Kamehameha represents challenges while spearheads and octopus tentacles symbolize the strength and courage to face them, protected by the two tiki on the sides.

The colored image below shows the main elements within the tattoo: