Tattoo Design

Symbol, Symbolic and Symbolism 

Symbol, Symbolic and Symbolism may sound the same but they aren't all the same. As symbol means something that represents a day, a person or a object even letters.  Symbolic is something that has been illustrated, representative and emblematic. Symbolism pretty much sums the other 2 up as is the use of symbols to represent the ideas or qualities.

Sentences using these words.

"You could all tell that the shops were getting ready for christmas, they all showed this by adding the symbols which represent christmas."
" When shopping I could see jack lanterns and pumpkins which are symbolic for Halloween"
" Every time an event comes mum always believes in the importance of symbolism in Decorations"

Sulu'ape Video Recount

After looking at these words and what they meant we learnt about a samoan family who are all tattooist. The family was Sulu'ape, we watched a video of one of the family members who took on residency at the Auckland University The video showed another man who was called Faliniko Tominiko.

The video showed us the process and what it takes to get a Pe'a. Watching the video I curled up and had moments were I just closed my eyes. Because it looked so painful and scary that I couldn't take it all in. We watched more of the parts to this and in each of them we found out more.

To learn more about the Pe'a click here.

Mini Project

We got assigned a mini project for extension the project was to design a tattoo that represented our culture and another one representing us. Asking around my family about whats something that is symbolic in our family I got all sorts of answers. Turtle, Centipede, Flowers, Birds, Dolphins and many more patterns.

For my cultural tattoo I decided to combine both my Nuiean and Cook Island side. I interpreted some creatures that meant something to the island or our tribe. Also things that mean something to our family.     

The creatures I used were Onu and the Unga. A Onu is a turtle in Cook Island and a Unga is a coconut crab in Nuiean. I also combined some other creatures like the dolphin and the kakaia bird.
                                              
Along with those I decided to add a vaka which is a canoe in Cook Island. I chose this because back in the island my great grandfather was a legendary fisherman. On the Vaka you will see flowers which represent the beautiful Tiare maori and Jasmines that live back on the Island. To fill in the gaps I put some patterns that both of my cultures put on Tapa cloths.

To represent myself I decided to do things that I find interesting. Of course I only did the important things, not that i'm not important. But I did the things that didn't only represent me but was meaningful to others around me, for example my parents.             

I included some spears which is symbolic for protection and strength. In the middle I added a heart with two Korus in the centre. This shows the symbol of love and the Korus represent my country Aotearoa.
                   
The shape of it may look a little quirky but it's actually the shape of a dogs paw. I added a little dab of creativity by adding the shape of a turtle to both the palm and the paws. In each paw it either shows by passion and something I find beautiful. In the middle paw is my birthday because i've always wanted an established tattoo. Also it marks the day when I came into this world which is full of opportunities.

I've realised that the inside of the body of the turtle or the palm of the paw actually represents my personality. As I am protective on the outside but nice on the inside.

I've really took this opportunity to take a deeper look in to the art of both tattoos and my culture. I've learnt more about my culture and my family also I had the time to take a look into what I like and the things that surround me.

So heres my tattoos of both my culture and me. Ashlee

Cultural ( Left )  

This is my tattoo that represents my culture.

                                                          


Conclusion