A personal experience of attending a couple of sessions of Peter Suluape doing traditional Samoan tatau on a friend of mines was so fascinating because I am very much used to watching a tattoo artists use the contemporary tattoo tool, the gun. Also seeing the ink process of how much the traditional way covers more skin than the modern tattoo gun is really intriguing; indeed it does make sense because that the traditional way is faster because the comb of the tools are much bigger than the modern tattoo guns. In the beginning of the tapping session, Peter Suluape did not need to draw out the design of the pe’a, he went right into the tapping. The most fascinating thing that I could not believe is that he knew exactly what to do and where each of the designs belonged, like it came natural to him and he certainly does hold his title as Su’a Suluape. As I watched Peter Suluape tapped, I noticed that there was a rhythm to certain designs of the pe’a. Each day there is a certain amount of section that needed to get done in order to get the pe’a done within a seven to ten day period.
From observation, the practice of traditional Samoan tatau is much faster than a tattoo artist using a gun; although the process of getting a pe’a takes about seven to ten days because of how much it covers the body, a tattoo can take on an average of four hours on for an example an arm piece, then again, it always depends on what one wants to get because it also may take less than that. From what I was told, if one to watch one get either a pe’a or a malu, one must wear a lava lava if they are going to be seated down with the person getting tapped. Also, everyone present at that session must be seated down with their legs crossed. Being able to watch Peter Suluape was indeed an opportunity because he travels here to Oahu every so often to leave more of his artwork and to visit friends and family.
In this paper, I have provided evidence for my argument that the traditional practice of Samoan tatau is gendered. As this paper shows by first off, having more internet websites talking about the importance of the pe’a more than the malu like in the ‘Lit Review/Theory’ section states. Remember, I am not trying to put down the importance of the malu, rather pointing out on how it does not have much more of the attention that the pe’a. Personally, when I see a lady with a malu, it is a beautiful sight because of the intricate designs and symbols have a reason why they are placed the way they are. Also since the fact that women are considered sacred to the Samoan culture and the word “malu” itself means to be protected and one of the duties of the men is to protect their women (Pasefika 2013). Secondly, with even using the Google search engine to look for a professional photo of the malu was quite difficult to find and that there was many photos of the pe’a. The photos of the malu on this website were one of very few that were of quality; in the “Website Analysis Evidence” section is where it is explained.
The implication of my research is that I do not get a chance to get into more detail on the process of the malu and its significance. Again, since majority of the findings that came about on Google search engine were about the pe’a. I could have found an intellectual with the knowledge of the significance of the malu and got a chance to interview them; only then I could have gained a better understanding of how come the pe’a has more focus. An additional analysis that could have been included to grasp a better understanding of my research is the statistics of women with a malu and men with a pe’a. If I was able to access such information, I think that fact could have backed up my argument much stronger.
From observation, the practice of traditional Samoan tatau is much faster than a tattoo artist using a gun; although the process of getting a pe’a takes about seven to ten days because of how much it covers the body, a tattoo can take on an average of four hours on for an example an arm piece, then again, it always depends on what one wants to get because it also may take less than that. From what I was told, if one to watch one get either a pe’a or a malu, one must wear a lava lava if they are going to be seated down with the person getting tapped. Also, everyone present at that session must be seated down with their legs crossed. Being able to watch Peter Suluape was indeed an opportunity because he travels here to Oahu every so often to leave more of his artwork and to visit friends and family.
In this paper, I have provided evidence for my argument that the traditional practice of Samoan tatau is gendered. As this paper shows by first off, having more internet websites talking about the importance of the pe’a more than the malu like in the ‘Lit Review/Theory’ section states. Remember, I am not trying to put down the importance of the malu, rather pointing out on how it does not have much more of the attention that the pe’a. Personally, when I see a lady with a malu, it is a beautiful sight because of the intricate designs and symbols have a reason why they are placed the way they are. Also since the fact that women are considered sacred to the Samoan culture and the word “malu” itself means to be protected and one of the duties of the men is to protect their women (Pasefika 2013). Secondly, with even using the Google search engine to look for a professional photo of the malu was quite difficult to find and that there was many photos of the pe’a. The photos of the malu on this website were one of very few that were of quality; in the “Website Analysis Evidence” section is where it is explained.
The implication of my research is that I do not get a chance to get into more detail on the process of the malu and its significance. Again, since majority of the findings that came about on Google search engine were about the pe’a. I could have found an intellectual with the knowledge of the significance of the malu and got a chance to interview them; only then I could have gained a better understanding of how come the pe’a has more focus. An additional analysis that could have been included to grasp a better understanding of my research is the statistics of women with a malu and men with a pe’a. If I was able to access such information, I think that fact could have backed up my argument much stronger.