Hi! I'm Morgan, and I'm a 30-year-old Samoan woman. Morgan Sloss / BuzzFeed Even if you don't know much about Samoan culture, you've likely seen or heard about our tattoos. Fun fact: the English word ...

“Tatau: Marks of Polynesia” at Bishop Museum features the art, history and cultural significance of Samoan tattoos through a series of photographs by John Agcaoili. Pictured is the tattoo artwork of ...

Garden Grove's A-Town tattoo shop is one of the only places in the country to offer customers a proper Samoan tatau — a practice dating back generations. David DeMarco is laying on the floor of A-Town ...

Army Capt. Isis Sake is the first soldier to receive a religious accommodation for traditional Samoan hand tattoos. (Jon Simkins/Staff) Small arrows, birds and stars adorn the tops of the soldier’s ...

In a tiny room at the rear of a tattoo parlor in Garden Grove a very special ritual plays out in carefully placed black inks. An expression of personal bravery and protection of family that most of us ...

The Samoan tattoo tradition, known as tatau, is one of the most profound cultural practices in Polynesia, representing identity, courage, and heritage. Unlike modern tattooing, this art form is deeply ...

Small arrows, birds and stars adorn the tops of the soldier’s hands and fingers. Etched into her skin from the wrists up to her nail beds, the markings are no ordinary tattoos, but symbols of ...