1.
Samoa
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The Independent State of Samoa, commonly known as Samoa and, until 1997, known as Western Samoa, is a unitary parliamentary democracy with eleven administrative divisions. The two main islands are Savaii and Upolu with four smaller islands surrounding the landmasses, the Lapita people discovered and settled the Samoan islands around 3,500 years ago. They developed a language and cultural identity. Samoa is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, Western Samoa was admitted to the United Nations on 15 December 1976. The entire island group, which includes American Samoa, was called Navigator Islands by European explorers before the 20th century because of the Samoans seafaring skills. The oldest date so far for remains in Samoa has been calculated by New Zealand scientists to a true age of circa 3,000 years ago from a Lapita site at Mulifanua during the 1970s. The origins of the Samoans are closely studied in research about Polynesia in various scientific disciplines such as genetics, linguistics. Contact with Europeans began in the early 18th century, jacob Roggeveen, a Dutchman, was the first known European to sight the Samoan islands in 1722. This visit was followed by French explorer Louis-Antoine de Bougainville, who named them the Navigator Islands in 1768, contact was limited before the 1830s, which is when English missionaries and traders began arriving. Christian missionary work in Samoa began in 1830 by John Williams, of the London Missionary Society arriving in Sapapalii from The Cook Islands and Tahiti. However, Robert Louis Stevenson, who lived in Samoa from 1889 until his death in 1894, wrote in A Footnote to History, Eight Years of Trouble in Samoa, … the Samoans are gentle people. The Germans in particular began to show great commercial interest in the Samoan Islands, especially on the island of Upolu, the United States laid its own claim and formed alliances with local native chieftains, most conspicuously on the islands of Tutuila and Manua. Britain also sent troops to protect British business enterprise, harbour rights and this was followed by an eight-year civil war, during which each of the three powers supplied arms, training and in some cases combat troops to the warring Samoan parties. The Samoan crisis came to a critical juncture in March 1889 when all three colonial contenders sent warships into Apia harbour, and a larger-scale war seemed imminent, a massive storm on 15 March 1889 damaged or destroyed the warships, ending the military conflict. The Second Samoan Civil War reached a head in 1898 when Germany, the United Kingdom, the Siege of Apia occurred in March 1899. Samoan forces loyal to Prince Tanu were besieged by a force of Samoan rebels loyal to Mataafa Iosefo. Supporting Prince Tanu were landing parties from four British and American warships, after several days of fighting, the Samoan rebels were finally defeated. American and British warships shelled Apia on 15 March 1899, including the USS Philadelphia, the eastern island-group became a territory of the United States and was known as American Samoa
2.
New Zealand
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New Zealand /njuːˈziːlənd/ is an island nation in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The country geographically comprises two main landmasses—the North Island, or Te Ika-a-Māui, and the South Island, or Te Waipounamu—and around 600 smaller islands. New Zealand is situated some 1,500 kilometres east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and roughly 1,000 kilometres south of the Pacific island areas of New Caledonia, Fiji, because of its remoteness, it was one of the last lands to be settled by humans. During its long period of isolation, New Zealand developed a distinct biodiversity of animal, fungal, the countrys varied topography and its sharp mountain peaks, such as the Southern Alps, owe much to the tectonic uplift of land and volcanic eruptions. New Zealands capital city is Wellington, while its most populous city is Auckland, sometime between 1250 and 1300 CE, Polynesians settled in the islands that later were named New Zealand and developed a distinctive Māori culture. In 1642, Dutch explorer Abel Tasman became the first European to sight New Zealand, in 1840, representatives of Britain and Māori chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi, which declared British sovereignty over the islands. In 1841, New Zealand became a colony within the British Empire, today, the majority of New Zealands population of 4.7 million is of European descent, the indigenous Māori are the largest minority, followed by Asians and Pacific Islanders. Reflecting this, New Zealands culture is derived from Māori and early British settlers. The official languages are English, Māori and New Zealand Sign Language, New Zealand is a developed country and ranks highly in international comparisons of national performance, such as health, education, economic freedom and quality of life. Since the 1980s, New Zealand has transformed from an agrarian, Queen Elizabeth II is the countrys head of state and is represented by a governor-general. In addition, New Zealand is organised into 11 regional councils and 67 territorial authorities for local government purposes, the Realm of New Zealand also includes Tokelau, the Cook Islands and Niue, and the Ross Dependency, which is New Zealands territorial claim in Antarctica. New Zealand is a member of the United Nations, Commonwealth of Nations, ANZUS, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Pacific Islands Forum, and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. Dutch explorer Abel Tasman sighted New Zealand in 1642 and called it Staten Landt, in 1645, Dutch cartographers renamed the land Nova Zeelandia after the Dutch province of Zeeland. British explorer James Cook subsequently anglicised the name to New Zealand, Aotearoa is the current Māori name for New Zealand. It is unknown whether Māori had a name for the country before the arrival of Europeans. Māori had several names for the two main islands, including Te Ika-a-Māui for the North Island and Te Waipounamu or Te Waka o Aoraki for the South Island. Early European maps labelled the islands North, Middle and South, in 1830, maps began to use North and South to distinguish the two largest islands and by 1907, this was the accepted norm. The New Zealand Geographic Board discovered in 2009 that the names of the North Island and South Island had never been formalised and this set the names as North Island or Te Ika-a-Māui, and South Island or Te Waipounamu
3.
Pe'a
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The Pea is the popular name of the traditional male tatau of Samoa, also known as the malofie, a term used in the Samoan language chiefly vocabulary and respect register. The soigaimiti/pea covers the body from waist to the knees, the word tattoo in the English language is believed to have originated from the Polynesian word tatau. The tatau process for the pea is extremely painful, and undertaken by tufuga ta tatau, using a set of tools, pieces of bone, turtle shell. The tufuga ta tatau are revered masters in Samoan society, in Samoan custom, a pea is only done the traditional way, with aspects of cultural ceremony and ritual, and has a strong meaning for the one who receives it. The tufuga ta tatau works with one or two assistants, often apprentice tattooists, who stretch the skin and wipe the excess ink, the process takes place with the subject lying on mats on the floor with the tattooist and assistants beside them. The assistants to the tattooists are referred to as the solo, family members of the person getting the tattoo are often in attendance at a respectful distance to provide words of encouragement, sometimes through song. The pea can take less than a week to complete, or, in some cases, the tattoo starts on the back and finishes on the belly button. Overall, the design is symmetrical with a pattern consisting mainly of lines and larger blocks of dark cover. Some art experts have made a comparison between the distinctive Samoan tattoo patterns to other artforms including designs on cloth and Lapita pottery. Traditional Samoan tattooing of the pea, body tattoo, is an ordeal that is not lightly undergone and it takes many weeks to complete, is very painful and used to be a necessary prerequisite to receiving a matai title, this however is no longer the case. Tattooing was also a costly procedure, the tattooer receiving in the region of 700 fine mats as payment. It was not uncommon for half a dozen boys to be tattooed at the same time, nor was the tattooing of women as ritualised as that of the men. The modern tufuga artists utilize commercially produced inks that comply with international tattoo regulations, Samoan males with a pea are called sogaimiti and are respected for their courage. Untattooed Samoan males are referred to as telefua or telenoa. Those who begin the tattooing ordeal but do not complete it due to the pain, or more rarely the inability to pay the tattooist, are called pea mutu. The traditional female tattoo in Samoa is the malu, in Samoan society, the pea and the malu are viewed with cultural pride and identity as well as a hallmark of manhood and womanhood. Tatau is an ancient Polynesian artform which is associated with the rites of passage for men, Pea is also the Samoan word for the flying fox, and there are many Polynesian myths, proverbs and legends associated with this winged creature. One legend from the island of Savaii is about Nafanua, Samoas goddess of war, in Polynesia, the origins of tattoo is varied
4.
Don Ed Hardy
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Don Ed Hardy is an American Tattoo artist raised in Southern California. Hardy is best known for his work and his eponymous apparel. Hardy was born in 1945 in Costa Mesa, California and he attended the San Francisco Art Institute and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in printmaking. Hardy was a student of Sailor Jerry Collins and, through his association, was able to study tattooing in Japan in 1973 with the Japanese classical tattoo master Horihide and he became recognized for incorporating Japanese tattoo aesthetics and technique into his American style work. In 1982, Hardy and his wife formed Hardy Marks Publications, under this marque, they began publishing the five-book series Tattootime. Hardy Marks has gone on to more than 25 books about alternative art, including catalogs of Hardys work. In 2000, he was appointed by Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown to the citys Cultural Arts Commission, today, Hardy is retired from tattooing. He oversees and mentors the artists at his San Francisco studio, since the 1960s, he has concentrated heavily on non-tattoo based art forms, especially printmaking, drawing, and painting. In the 2000s, Hardy has licensed his brand, and it is now found on a variety of products. This began in the early 2000s, when Hardy licensed Ku USA, within two years, the collection had drawn the interest of Saks companies. Hardy and Ku USA formed Hardy Life, now Hardy Way LLC, the brand has subsequently by extensively licensed, at one point having 70 sublicensees, selling goods as diverse as clothing, accessories, lighters, perfume, hair styling tools, and condoms. The most famous licensee was Christian Audigier, previously of Von Dutch Originals, the face of the brand was Sarah Larson. The brand under Audigier was extremely popular for a time, peaking at more than $700 million in revenue in 2009. Among others, the Australian sublicensee of Ed Hardy entered administration, following legal battles, Hardy regained control of the brand in 2010, though as part of the settlement Nervous remained a licensee for T-shirts, hats, and hoodies. In May 2009, Iconix Brand Group announced it had acquired a 50 percent interest in Hardy Way, LLC, the owner of the Ed Hardy brand and trademarks, Hardy retains a 15% minority stake. Bulls Eyes & Black Eyes, Hardy Marks Publications 2003, the Elephants Graveyard, Frederick Spratt Gallery 2002. Smart art press - by Don Ed Hardy, Smart Art Press 2000, tattooing the Invisible Man, Bodies of Work, Hardy Marks Publications/Smart Art Press 2000. Permanent Curios, Smart Art Press 1997, tattoo-time, ART FROM THE HEART, Hardy Marks Publications, Hawaii 1991
5.
Tony Fomison
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Tony Fomison was a notable artist in New Zealand. He was an important post-war visual artist in the country and influenced New Zealand art by incorporating elements of narrative and myth into contemporary art. He studied sculpture at Canterbury Art School, where he was taught by Rudi Gopas and he also compiled photographic essays during this period. Fomison began painting in earnest in 1960-61, in 1964, he travelled to England and Spain and lived in the former for three years before returning to Christchurch in 1967. During his time in England, he was hospitalised at Banstead Hospital after succumbing to drug addiction, Fomison moved to Auckland, the largest Polynesian city in the world, in 1973. From that time, his work was influenced by Polynesian culture, at around this time he met fellow artist Colin McCahon, with whom he struck up a long close friendship. Fomison was tattooed by Samoan master tattooist Sua Suluape Paulo II with a pea, only a few Europeans have received the traditional Samoan tattoo. In 1985 Fomison was the recipient of the Rita Angus Residency. Media reports from the state that he intended to spend his time in Wellington on the residency developing his contacts with the local Samoan community. Fomison died at Waitangi during the commemorations of the 150th anniversary of the signing of New Zealands founding document, tony Fomison in the collection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
6.
Henk Schiffmacher
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Hendrikus Johannes Everhardus Henk Schiffmacher, also known as Hanky Panky, is a Dutch tattoo artist. He is considered an expert within the field of decoration, having curated exhibitions, written books. Schiffmacher has claimed members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Pearl Jam, as well as Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain and Motörhead frontman Lemmy, born in Harderwijk, Gelderland, Schiffmacher displayed a talent and love for drawing at an early age. In the early 1970s, he studied at the Reclame School REX in Amsterdam, following stints in various jobs, including employment by Nieuwe Revu as a photographer, Schiffmacher decided to travel. Schiffmacher also began to organise tattoo conventions and later wrote on the subject, resulting in the books Tattoos, published in 2001, during this period, Schiffmacher also presented a documentary about tattoos, released on DVD in the Netherlands as World of Tattooing in 2004. In 2004, the exhibition Wear Your Dreams, curated by Schiffmacher, Schiffmacher explained the title as a literal reading of the art of the tattoo and what it means in aboriginal culture, These people have nothing. Everything they hold, they carry within and they only cover themselves for important events and rituals by using body decorations, thus revealing thoughts and ideas. Schiffmacher then turned to painting, an exhibition of his paintings was held in Antwerp, Belgium, in 1999, Schiffmacher took part in the celebrity version of the Dutch Big Brother, Big Brother VIPS. In June 2006, Schiffmacher sued the Amsterdam clothing company, 10Feet, the court ruled for Schiffmacher on all counts and ordered 10Feet to cease printing the t-shirts, fining the company 500 euro per summary infringement to a maximum of 25,000 euro
