Tuakana

Design Story

This Polynesian armband tattoo was prepared for Damiano and it includes elements related to him and his brother.

Ancestors along the lower edge represent family and roots being the foundation, with braids for family unity.
The enata represents Damiano's brother, whose passing led to a difficult time full of challenges (the path of Kamehameha), faced with courage and determination (spearheads), strength and adaptability (shark teeth).

This led to a new start (the koru) with a renewed fighting spirit (the centipede), seeing life in a different perspective (the frigate bird), always looking for the positive (the sun).

Bonito tails symbolize prosperity.

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