Te ha

Design Story

This Polynesian band tattoo was prepared for Ana to tell her story.

The tiki breathing life is related to nature and harmony: the koru that identify the breath represent life and new beginnings, and they are designed to complete a Marquesan cross, a symbol of harmony and balance.
The underlying lōkahi symbol too symbolizes harmony between the world of humans, nature, and the world of spirits (hence the ancestors nearby).
This helps her face any challenge (the path of Kamehameha) by turning it into a learning experience (the stepping stones).

The hammerhead shark (a symbol of strength and tenacity) protects the turtle (family), where her parents are on the front flippers with a spear and an axe next to them to represent a warrior, skill, and creativity, and she herself is the enata in the shell, supporting the frangipani flower that represents her daughter, at the center of the family and with a star nearby to symbolize her importance.
The sun around the turtle indicates happiness and eternity.

Her grandparents appear on top as well for the importance they had in her life, one in particular.

The hibiscus flower is a symbol of beauty and carpe diem while the row of birds symbolizes the journey undertaken together as a family.

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