Matavuvale

Design Story

This half sleeve tattoo requested by Ivo represents, using mostly Fijian inspired motifs, adversities and trials he faced and won.
The path of Kamehameha in the armband and around turtle and shark symbolizes difficulties while spear heads represent the warrior, the strength to face them, together with the hammerhead shark (tenacity, the fighter) that sustains the turtle (family) being the most important element of the tattoo.

The birds in the past (the back of the arm) symbolize voyages and the centipede nearby symbolizes the warrior spirit. Fish are for prosperity.

Among the other elements there are flowers, two versions of flax leaves, frangipani flowers for his wife and daughters.
Their names are placed as maorigrams on the shell of the turtle.

The tikis on the front flippers represent protection to the family from all sides while the motif on top symbolizes the ancestors guarding on the family.