Apia, SAMOA — The Samoan tatau & malu has come into public focus recently raising concerns about the cultural sacredness of the tattoos.

"I've been trying for years to come up with a law that will protect the sacredness of Samoa's tatau and malu for future generations," Su'a Sua Suluape Alaivaa said. His issue is with what he calls the selling of the sacredness of the 'tatau Samoa' to other people who are not Samoans.

A Samoan master tattooist is concerned about the exploitation of the traditional art form by other Samoan tattooists.

He has vented frustration at a post by a Tonga singer Melenau Lino who claimed to have had a 'Tongan malu.' The tattoo was done by a Samoan tattooist, Tulouena Mareko.

Su'a Suluape Alaiva'a said he was angry and sad at the same time. He claimed that the Tongans have a different name for their tattoo and it is not called a 'malu'.

Su'a Suluape Alaiva'a [photo: Junior S. Ami]

Su'a told Samoa Observer that this lapse was caused by Samoan tattooists and that’s something he's trying to eliminate. He has called this — “selling the sacredness of the 'tatau Samoa' to other people who are not Samoans.”

"I've been trying for years to come up with a law that will protect the sacredness of Samoa's tatau and malu for future generations," Su'a said.

"I'm still trying, the Malofie Association is trying to come up with a way to avoid these kinds of problems." 

Tongan tattoos are called tatatau and have not been in practice for more than two centuries according to research. However, it has been noted by explorers and documented by sailors like James Cook and Abel Tasman as Tongans having tattoos.  

In a University of Auckland paper, researcher Amelia Voran-Vaihu said, "Contemporary Tongans have had our tatatau (traditional Tongan tattooing) stripped from us. It is commonly accepted that colonization has decimated many indigenous cultural practices."

CULTURAL DISRESPECT?

On September 16, 2024, the Samoa Observer published a story about Manusina XV, Samoa’s female rugby team, marking their return to their first game on home soil after 15 years, with a 20-17 win over Australia A at Apia Park.

A photo accompanied the story, which has caused cultural outrage with many in the Samoa community who have seen the photo.

The photo shows one of the Australian female rugby players bending over during a play — fully displaying her ‘malu’ from the back. Many in the Samoa community have pointed to cultural disrespect by the Samoa Observer for running this photo which displays the malu in such a manner.