Skin Deep

Poetua, the Daughter of Oreo (c. 1758) by John Webber
When Captain Cook first arrived in Tahiti, tattooing had been practised across the Pacific for thousands of years. On some of the Polynesian islands, men were more highly tattooed than women. On other islands, the women were more tattooed than men. The designs and the areas of the body to which tattoos were applied also varied and the significance and the social function of tattoos differed as well. In general, islanders believed that tattoos would change the spiritual status of the body. They also protected it, decorated it, showed personal histories and were believed to increase sexual attractiveness.

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