Mohala

Design Story

This feminine Polynesian tattoo for the back was prepared for Sarah and it represents her story.

From bottom to top, the path of Kamehameha represents challenges, faced with tenacity, strength, and adaptability (spearheads, the hammerhead shark, and shark teeth) to reach e new start (the koru) and a new union (the turtle representing family, with two frangipani flowers on the shell for two children).

The path from there brings joy (the sun) and is marked by love (the second koru with mountains shaping a seashell) with freedom (the manta) at the end of this voyage (the row of birds).

This also brings a new perspective (the frigate), where the worlds of people, spirits and nature are all balanced in harmony (the lokahi symbol on top), while the dot in front of the net symbolizes the importance of community and service, and the stepping stones represent all that was learnt.

Fish symbolize prosperity.

The image below helps identifying the individual elements within the tattoo: