The ancient Hawaiians, like other tribal Polynesians such as the Maori, commonly tattooed their bodies. Both Hawaiian men and women were tattooed with bold, black tattoos that often covered large portions of their skin. In fact the English word tattoo, like taboo, comes to us from the Polynesian languages such as Tahitian (tatau), Samoan (also tatau) and Marquesan (tatu). Captain James Cook, who discovered the Hawaiian Islands, introduced the word to English speakers in his account of a voyage around the world from 1768 to 1771. European sailors began to get tattoos as well, a practice that is associated with sailors to this day. The Hawaiian word for tattoo is Kakau.



The Rock Sports a Traditional Design

from Hawaii