The Tatau (Tradititional Polynesian Tattoo) process is different from most Western Tattoo approaches.
Tatau is:
1. Custom made to you and your story.
Fitu will spend up to an hour at the beginning of the Tattoo Session getting to know you, your story and what you want your tattoo to represent.
There are specific Polynesian motifs (symbols), lines (directions) and forms (outlines) for specific people(s), stories and themes.
A common question we get asked is whether non-Polynesian people are able to get Authentic Polynesian Tattoos and the answer is: YES!! Fitu has been trained to use the right motifs and forms for the right people(s) to 1) Eliminate any risk of appropriation and 2) Honor non-Polynesian people(s) with the motifs and forms that his ancestors created just for them.
2. Custom made to your body’s muscles groups and anatomy.
You get to choose where on your body the tattoo will go and Fitu will create the tattoo form and lines to fit your body. This way your tattoo by Tatau Le Toa Inc is 100% custom made to your body.
3. 100% Freehand.
After getting to know you, what you want from your tattoo and seeing the location on your body you would like it placed, Fitu will draw in sharpie the form and lines onto your body before tattooing. The Motifs will be tattooed freehand: The more you are able sit, the more detail he will be able to add.
There is never any stencil used because a stencil has form and lines made for the paper, not for your body.
4. About ‘Healing from Pain’ instead of ‘Causing Pain that Needs Healing’.
Tatau is, in a way, what Polynesian Peoples call ceremony. Because the process starts with you and your story, and because the tattoo is custom made to you and your body, and the Tufuga uses the ancestral knowledge and practice, you are the center of the process.
Tatau is about creating something visually beautiful and striking from your story – and imprinting it on your body as a reminder to you and symbol to others of your strength and resilience.
This is also why there is a 7:00am start time. Tatau is ceremony in its own rite and starting the session with the sunrise means a new start and fresh beginning.
Consultations:
It is a rare occasion that an in person consultation is needed. In person consultation is a Western Tattoo process whereby drafts of the tattoo are drawn on paper to then be transferred to skin by stencil.
Because Tatau is custom made to your body’s anatomy and therefore freehand, Fitu feels it is unfair to charge clients for a consultation of a paper rendition that will, in the end, not reflect the final tattoo.
Most often, the consultation to clarify the desired type, and body location, of the tattoo occurs by email. Reference photos of what you want and where on your body you want it always help. Peleina, the Booking Manager, is great at meeting you where you’re at and ensuring all your questions and needs are met!
Health & Safety:
Tatau Le Toa Inc prides itself on going above and beyond Public Health standards for shop, station and supply cleanliness and sterilization.
All supplies, including but not limited to needles and coverings, are single use and disposable. All equipment is sterilized with medical grade cleaning supplies both before and after each client.
Alberta Health Services (AHS) has approved Fitu for both tattoo machine and hand tapping – he is the only artist in Alberta approved for hand tapping by AHS.
The shop is cleaned at minimum twice daily with medical grade anti-bacterial & anti-viral cleaners.
Being a survivor of septic shock from a tattoo infection, Fitu prioritizes clients’ safety above all else.
Inclusive & Strengths Based:
Tatau Le Toa Inc is a decidedly inclusive and trauma-informed environment. Every client who walks in the door is treated like Aigā (Family).
None of the ‘isms’ are tolerated at Tatau Le Toa Inc.
TATAU LE TOA INC 