Tetování na Markézách – Handy Ch. W. (2012)

During her stay in the Marquesas in 1921, the author created drawings and photographs of tattoos on the bodies of the natives. Since tattooing is now legally banned in this country and thus is dying out, this collection of the last examples of tattoos that exist today in the Marquesas calls for a complementary collection of information regarding the practice of this art and ultimately, that these beautiful motifs could be partially accounted for and one day take their deserved place in the history of art. The data was obtained from the tattooed natives, one old tuhuna, the artist who performed the tattoos, and from literary sources, thus providing a fairly accurate picture of this custom. The discussion about the patterns themselves, of which the natives today know nothing except their names, is presented in a spirit of appreciation and in the belief that the designs offered, given the evolution and significance of this form of art, may uncover further possibilities and lead to more compelling interpretations of this art. The book is supplemented by an extensive gallery of tattoos.