Wairuatanga

Design Story

The atua (divinity) placed centrally in this Maori styled armband tattoo is showing the way to follow (the sun that shapes a compass, with a star in it as its center to symbolize direction).
The warrior belows follows the god, and the dot within the warrior, where the heart is, symbolizes the importance of this.

The lizard on the side symbolizes communication with the god, helping along the difficult path full of challenges represented by the path of Kamehameha.
The ahuahu o Mataora similarly represents the steps taken to overcome every challenge.

The stepping stones at the base symbolize the things learnt, which bring harmony (the Marquesan cross) and stability (the mountains along the top).

The herring´s tail is a symbol of prosperity, and fish scales of protection while the braid represents unity.

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