Design Story
This feminine Polynesian tattoo that wraps one side of the back ending on the front of the hip was prepared for Tiare and it is shaped by two main parts: the lower one, from the front hip to the center of the back, is related to her family, while the upper part, from the side of the breast to the center of the back, is related to her.
The family part starts with kapua'i and nga mata ariki, two motifs (the first from Hawai'i and the latter from the Cook Islands) that represent ancestors.
A hibiscus flower (living every moment fully) introduces the members of her family: her mom with Celtic knots for Scotland and her father with tikitiki tangata for the Cooks.
She and her siblings are represented by the three plumerias next to each other and by the two chasing birds (support granted to the loved ones).
The lizard is a symbol of health and good luck and the braid symbolizes union in the family.
Tiare's part has a tiare flower representing her, with spearheads and a hammerhead shark for tenacity and determination, and the octopus tentacle and shark teeth for adaptability, courage, and strength.
The manta ray on top symbolizes freedom and knowledge (the te ara poutama pattern placed centrally within the manta ray), and the fern leaf pointing upward is a symbol of maturity representing continuous learning and improving.
The sun is a symbol of joy and the tiki eyes and hands protect her from all evil, as does the all-seeing eye on the shell of the turtle (protection to family).
The row of birds along the spine symbolizes voyages, with the frigate bird representing her, and it connects a Celtic tattoo she already had to the new Polynesian part, ideally representing her voyages between her ancestral homelands.
The image below shows the individual elements with different colors:
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