The question is? Can non Indigenous Pasifika or non natives get Indigenous Pasifika tattoos?
Depends There is nuances guidelines protocol etc Is it cultural appreciation or fetishizing and cultural appropriation? Is it using our Indigenous tattoos that is symbolic for us After haole settler colonization tattoo banning but for a tribal aesthetic after they outlawed it for cultural genocide
That is our problem with it Settlers made Every facet of our identity illegal And only permitted it as a spectacle for colonizer enjoyment That is why tattoo spirituality and language revival is important for Indigenous people of Turtle Island and Indigenous Pasifika of Oceania
Even I as a Tahitian Maohi Nui Pasifika can’t get Hawaiian Samoan or Tongan tattoos Without express permission or clearance From the community or elders in question Fuck pan Indianism
We each have our own unique tattoos I have my own Tahitian tattoos that I want to have We shouldn’t break protocol for aesthetics I don’t like Indigenous people or Indigenous Pasifika who engage in this cultural faux pas We as Natives should know better I know a few Pasifika celebrities how broke this rule we have The elders and community rightfully called them out














