Te ha: (Maori) s. breath, essence, sound.
Often referred to as the "breath of life" (tihei mauri ora), breath is deeply important in Polynesian cultures and tattoos. It is the root for words like hau (vital essence) and hauora (health, vigor).
The Maori Hongi
The traditional Maori greeting, or Hongi, is performed by two people pressing their noses and foreheads together, symbolizing the exchange of breath between them.
Exchanging the breath holds a deeply sacred significance, originating from the story of the god Tane, who infused life into the first woman, Hineahuone, after creating her from earth.
The action of mingling the breaths symbolizes becoming one and represents unity.
Hawaiian Kuhanu
In Hawai?i, a symbol representing the breath of the god Ku is called Kuhanu. Here, hanu means both breath and spirit/essence.
Ku is the Hawaiian god of war, and this symbol is related to the dualism of life and death, as visually represented by the opposing light and dark elements.
Marquesan Breath Symbol
The following Marquesan symbol represents the nostrils of a tiki, and it also symbolizes the breath of life:
Tattoo Flow and Breath
The importance of breath is also reflected in the structure of the tattoos themselves: a Polynesian tattoo must have "flow" and "breath."
- Flow means that every element must connect and move harmoniously with the others in a balanced design.
- Breath means the elements should not be stacked or stuck too close together. Allowing space between the elements lets the design "breathe," enabling it to come to life through the flow of mana of all the symbols combined.
The example below shows the difference between a stacked and a breathing design:
Usage Examples
The ha element used within this small kirituhi styled owl tattoo:
Marquesan style breath of life symbol within the turtle of this Polynesian half sleeve tattoo:
You can read the description of each tattoo by clicking on its photo.
