Design Story

In this full sleeve tattoo the main elements woven into the design are a turtle, a hammerhead shark, a manta and a bee.

The turtle symbolizes the new family started by Tania, who requested this tattoo, and it´s surrounded by elements relating to her family of origin: a flower of hibiscus for her mother, a mere and an enata for her brothers, a frangipani for her and a bee for her father.

The shell of the turtle contains elements symbolizing a meeting, their marriage, love and a new life to come.

The path of Kamehameha represents a difficult path, faced with determination and tenacity (the spear heads and the hammerhead shark) until reaching freedom and a new balance (the manta ray with a Marquesan cross inside).

The manaia (guardian angel), close to the bee representing Tania´s father, guards on her family while other enata and koru symbolize relatives who share a very strong bond.

Two important dates were inserted as maorigrams.