This is the symbol for turtle and contrary to what the regular notion is, the turtles drawn upwards don not imply that they are carrying the soul of a deceased one to the heavens. It is the most significant symbol of unity as a tribe and as a family. The turtles stand for vitality, potency, endurance, support, and unity. It is also known as ‘honu’ in their language, and it an important creature in the Polynesian culture which is associated with virility. They thus, also represent family and resourcefulness. The reflect immortality and equanimity in life. The turtle is one of the most famous symbols of Polynesian tattoo designs. Besides, we will give a brief description of individual Polynesian symbols that form the whole. Since various elements work together to form one masterpiece, we will show some of the most popular ones on this list. They basically stand for thing slike peace, shelter, and wellness in addition to which is also potency and breeding. Each symbol stands for various different things which might overlap with each other sometimes. There is the utilization of objects like turtle shells etc. If you delve more into this topic, you will find that a lot of symbols are associated with the surroundings including nature and god. They stand for fierceness and versatility. But a further association is with dominance too, since you can find a lot of spears, shark teeth, and other sharp objects on the tattoos too. The usual association of these tattoos is with determination, strength, and will-power of a person. Since these are mosaics and geometrical pattern which includes various small symbols to make a whole, there are many micro symbols incorporated too. We have created this list exactly for this purpose, to help you guide through this. Polynesian tattoo, for a lot of people, stands for vitality and vigor, however, these are only the parts of what it actually stands for In case your tattoo artists are knowledgeable enough, he can guide you with the various designs and its symbolism, otherwise, everything is pretty much available on the internet and you can infer from the information given here.

Regarding the rich symbolism, in the Togan culture, it held a significant implication for the people. Unlike the modern-day tattoo artists, at that time, it was the priests who got trained for years and obeyed rituals who were responsible for this tattooing process. Obviously, black ink was the most common type of ink used. This tattoo art was mostly done in tribal or geometrical patterns which includes various shapes, like bands, triangles and circles and the spaces in between them filled with black ink. In Tonga, especially, the warriors embellished themselves with these kinds of tattoo patterns from their knees to the waist. The Polynesian form of tattoo designed grew further into a popular kind of artform since it was produced in nations like Samoa and Tonga.

Polynesian 4 elements tattoo