Polynesian tattoo symbols for pain and adversities

Pain and adversities are a common aspect in societies that spend part of their time at war.

Polynesian societies are not an exception to that, and there are several symbols that can be used to represent various degrees of this, from simple challenges to serious adversities, pain, and death.

Let's have a look at the most common.

Fa'atigipusa, which can be translated as "like a burning pain" from Samoan, is a symbol often used to symbolize pain and sorrow.

Its origin is not totally clear and some consider it as a simplified representation of sea urchin's spines, which break and remain trapped under the skin, and whose pain remains even after the spines have been removed.

A different version, which we tend to consider more likely, regards the symbol as a broken fa'anufe motif, a Samoan symbol used to represent people.

In this sense, it could represent an injured (suffering) person. or someone who died, an event that would bring pain to their relatives.

Moray eels are dangerous creatures, and their bite can cause severe damage and sharp pain to divers. Several legends about moray eels see them as deceiving creatures that pose some sort of challenge to the hero, and that's why they are often incorporated to represent adversities.

It's not their only meaning though, and they can also represent fighting spirit and sometimes even protection.

Thorns are another common symbol for pain, unsurprisingly given that several tropical plants present long and thick thorns.

Row of flies gather on the body of the dead, and this easily explains why they are related to pain and death.

Chiefs were the only people who could afford having someone continuously moving a fan above their dead bodies to keep flies away, and thus fans are a chiefly symbol and a a symbol of defeating death.

Opposing waves and streams make it harder to keep moving forward with a canoe, and that's why waves are used in modern Polynesian tattoos to represents adversities along a path.

The path of Kamehameha is actually not a negative symbol despite representing a challenging path and being often used to represent adversities along the way.

That's because it represents a path that finally leads to success, and this counters the challenges met to reach there.

Don't focus on them

We all know that life will always present us with difficult moments, but they should never be the focus of a tattoo.
Focus on how you overcame them instead, on your strength, on your resilience.
Never choose a negative event or meaning as the main focus of your tattoo.

And that's because watching a tattoo for the rest of our lives gives it power upon us.

Life is like a tattoo: we have a certain space available and that's it.
The more we fill it with negative elements, the less space will be left for the positive ones.
Shape your life like a work of art as you would do with your tattoos, and keep the good in it.
Shape your dreams.

Both the moray eel and the row of flies are present in this half sleeve tattoo.
When included, you will often see them flanked by symbols of strength to counter them (spearheads, warrior, or the centipede for example, like in this case)

Thorns and fa'atigipusa elements are both present in this fighter's tattoo:

When available, you can read the description of each tattoo by clicking on its photo.