Language of Tatau, Ta Tatau, Tattoo
Researched & Written by Carmen Forquer Nyssen
The linguistic aspects of Polynesian tatau are an important consideration in fostering our understanding of the art form. The word tatau is linguistically potent as it pertains to Polynesian culture and the wider scope of tattooing. Tatau is not only a marking of the skin, but a reflection of greater culture, starkly inherent in the multi-layered linguistic processes of the word.
The essence of tatau is a physical affirmation of humanity that perpetuates the spiritual, conscious being. It’s a way of whispering a legacy of unity and goodwill, in both effable and ineffable ways, across generations unseen. It’s what Polynesians embrace as the “breath of life,” and uncannily, the sound symbolism and form of the word are components of the same, in physiological and cognitive iteration.
Tatau
As a brief, general intro: In historical Polynesian culture, tattoo artists were bestowed the sacred knowledge of tatau—its traditions and designs—through an apprenticeship lineage. The operation of tatau, which was a coming of age ritual, was a long and painful process administered with a range of hand-tapping tools, typically consisting of a comb (often made from bone) affixed atop a wooden handle that was struck with a mallet to apply the tatau designs on the skin. The societal role of individuals who underwent the process, as well as the patterns of the designs, varied richly, yet maintained conceptual continuity, across Polynesian cultures. Persons tattooed held significant roles within the community. The patterns placed on their bodies signified rank and other societal aspects such as kinship and marital status. In keeping, words for different aspects of tatau also varied in nuance across the Polynesian family of languages, while still perpetuating its overarching sacredness.
The standard definition of tatau is ‘to mark.’ But the word tatau embodies more than literal translation. Its meaning covers a continuum from concrete to transcendent cultural concepts embedded in the word’s linguistic qualities.
Reduplication:
In Linguistics, tatau is deemed a reduplicated word.
“Reduplication in linguistics is a morphological process in which the root or stem of a word (or part of it) or even the whole word is repeated exactly or with a slight change.” (Roots, stems, and whole words are morphemes–linguistic units of meaning rather than just sounds (phonetics)).
When a root or stem is reduplicated it creates a derived word from the root. Here the conjoining ta and similar-sounding tau forms the reduplicated word tatau.
Some studies assert that tatau is made up of the root ta meaning ‘to strike’ and the reduplicant (repeated word) tau meaning ‘to place upon’ (with the /u/added to ta to slightly change the meaning). Thus, when added together these words literally mean ‘to strike and to place upon.’ In other words, ‘to mark.’
Ta (root) → tau (reduplicant) = tatau
Other studies claim that tau, ‘to place upon,’ is the root and that ta is its reduplicant (added to the front of the word), with the result meaning “to place upon and place upon” (place upon more than once); i.e. ‘to write’ or ‘tattoo.’
Ta (reduplicant) ← tau (root) = tatau
As will be further elucidated, ta and tau actually share common nuanced etymology that captures the ingrained beauty of tatau.
The word for tattooing in Hawaiian is kakau, due to a linguistic shift in phonemes as peoples migrated outward from an original motherland. Whereas most Polynesian languages retain the */t/ of Proto-Polynesian (the theoretical language shared at some point in time by all Polynesian cultures), in Hawaiian the sound became /k/. This is shown with the following rule: *t > k.
Tatau remains the underlying form linguistically.
ka-kau, reduplication of kau ‘to place’ and kā -kau ‘to write, tattoo’ (causative kā- + kau)
Onomatopoeia:
Reduplication in language is typically employed for emphatic effect, intensification, or mimicry. In the word tatau, the repetition (ta + tau) emulates and emphasizes the constant tapping sound of the tatau instruments, …tatau …tatau …tatau, rendering what’s termed an onomatopoeia. The built-in sound quality announces the operation of tatau and its meaningful rhythmic flow in the community.
on·o·mat·o·poe·ia: the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named [by the word]
(Kakau, the Hawaiian form, is still considered onomatopoeiac; despite the *t > k shift. It still retains the overall essence described herein).
Multiple Definitions.
Beyond mere sound emulation, however, the word tatau conveys layers of interpersonal connectedness, as it carries multiple meanings. Socially, it can also mean:
“Tatau, v. n. intr. To bid farewell to; to go speak to a person before his departure.”
The multiple usages of the word tatau is a case of extended meaning, wherein each embraces the broader sphere of Polynesian grace. The same applies to the reduplicated stems, ta and tau, adding to the intricacy.
Protean or Extended Meaning:
The word tatau and its reduplicated constituents are closely related expressions of Polynesian culture, quite entangled conceptually. The linguistic complexity stems from their protean nature in Polynesian language. Protean forms easily change depending on cultural circumstance and are transcendent of any one linguistic definition. They align with the fact that language tends to rely on context or inter-relationships for complexity, much like tatau and its conveyance through time.
In the Marquesas, tatau is related to writing:
“in the language of the Marquesas itself, too, tatau means “to read, cipher, draw.”
Across Polynesian languages tatau holds a sense of marking, writing, copying, duplicating, and in the same vein carries a sense of equality, sameness, or symmetry. The root or stem ta is protean as well. In Tongan (and other Polynesian languages), ta is conceptualized as the ‘beating of time’ (to beat, to mark, or to perform). Ta as the “beating of time” self-evidently aligns with tatau as a reduplicated emulation of the sound of tapping tatau tools. Tatau …tatau …tatau, creates a transcendent vibration measuring our existential being.
Ta is part of the Ta-Va way of living manifested in Polynesian culture (ta meaning ‘time’ and va meaning the ‘space’ or ‘space between,’ where relationships form). Basically, it’s a way of existing in time and space, through keeping beauty, harmony, and symmetry in nurturing relationships to all things, including in tatau (the marking of skin). An alternate definition of tatau, meaning bidding farewell to a host, infers the same. As such, all meanings of tatau share commonality.
Interestingly, in Tongan, the root ta (beating in time) precedes tatau (marking the skin) and forms ta tatau to indicate the act of tattooing. The added layer of linguistic reduplication, with the added ‘ta‘ stem, all the more powerfully emphasizes the cadence, in sound and essence, of tatau as a cultural harmonizer.
Existential Tatau
In Polynesian culture, tattoo artists themselves came from a lineage of skilled and revered practitioners who were well-versed in the sacred tatau designs indicative of relationships, such as kinship, societal roles, and keeping harmony in Ta-Va. There is a giver, tattoo artist, and a recipient, the person tattooed with sacred designs, reflecting aesthetics of harmony and symmetry. By virtue of their existence, tattoo artists created a certain ‘equality’ through ‘copying,’ ‘writing,’ or ‘striking’ meaningful designs onto skin to the beat of time, integrating conscious existence with physicality in all its nuances.
Both tatau as an act and the sacred designs signify the intersecting journey of life and relationships. across time. In Tongan,
The idea of intersecting lines appears in all types of artistry in Polynesian culture. Floor mats and tapa cloths, for instance, are woven in intersecting patterns that perpetuate the harmony of Ta-Va. Additionally, as a root word, extended meanings of tau indicate anchoring, tying together of things, or to make right or beautiful, all of which relate to the idea of the intersection of time and space and the eminence of human existence.
Ideophones:
The linguistic processes underlying tatau are interconnected on a deep level reflected in the function of the word itself—via construct (reduplicated meaning), phonology (repetitive sound), varying meaning, and other self-evident qualities that iterate the physical act and its overarching essence.
As noted, reduplicated words can be onomatopoeias mimicking sound. Yet onomatopoeias also fall under the category of ideophones:
Ideophones are not limited to expressing one sensory perception. They can convey multiple ones, as well as, transcendent concepts, all at once. They are linguistic analogies.
More literally, the form of the word tatau describes meaning; figurally it inherently illustrates its meaning. Linguistically speaking, tatau is an ideophone, self-evident in its expression of the form, ‘to mark,’ and also the tapping sound of the tatau instruments. Beyond these obvious connotations, the interplay of the two syllables ta + tau expresses the premise of Ta-va as an intersecting phenomenon.
In tatau there is an expression of one person striking and placing a mark on another person. The word form of the two reduplicated syllables and their literal translation figuratively represent a tattoo artist (one person) and the person being tattooed (a second person).
ta + tau = tatau
tattoo artist + person being tattooed = tatau
Transcendentally, the linguistic qualities of the word tatau conjure a multi-sensory scene, constituting description and depiction on a continuum towards overarching cultural concepts. Together they evoke the sacred interplay between a tattoo artist, the person being tattooed, and the tatau markings, as part of creating harmony and symmetry as a whole. The profound layering of linguistic processes intensifies tatau in Polynesian culture, as a pervasive consciousness that extends to everything within the culture. In Samoa:
Tatau Language:
Whether taken to mean ‘to strike,’ ‘same,’ ‘equality,’ ‘copy,’ ‘to place upon,’ ‘writing,’ etc. the protean nuances of ta, tau, tatau iterate the arcane essence of the art form. The sacred designs of tatau are language in the most tangible way—they are markings on the physical being that represent and express the complexities of the human psyche, the spiritual being. They are self-similar affirmations of humanness on all levels.
Tattoo Language:
We should be conscientious when drawing parallels between the tattooing traditions of various cultures around the world. But it’s safe to say that, with any culture across the ages, tattooing (and other types of body modification) involves conveyance on some level, an unspoken language. The idea of tattoos as such is helpful in understanding how tattooing manifests itself within culture. Some tattoo traditions are imbued with ancient knowledge that extends far back in time. Others emerged through a variety of cultural shifts. As the ancient tradition of tatau intimates, all traditions have the potential to express deeper arcane meaning, a language reflecting thought and expression, literally embodying our very human existence.
This research article is a more inclusive perspective than standard Linguistic studies of tatau, in that it explains in greater detail how language functionally intersects with such a profound and sacred art form.
Carmen Forquer Nyssen has a B.A. in Linguistics from the University of California, Santa Barbara
Questions or Comments? Email:
carmennyssen@buzzworthytattoo.com
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