Sua Sulu'ape Paulo II was a Samoa

Samoa

Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...

n tattooist, tufuga ta tatau (master tattooist), in New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

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Suluape was from the Su'a family of Lefaga

Lefaga

Lefaga is a village district on the south west coast of the island of Upolu in Samoa. The American movie Return to Paradise , starring Gary Cooper was filmed at Matautu village in Lefaga...

, a family well known as tufuga ta tatau in Samoa. His brother Su'a Suluape Petelo is a respected master tattooist today.

Suluape tattooed well known New Zealand artist Tony Fomison

Tony Fomison

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....

, with the traditional Samoan pe'a.

In 2009, his life and tattoo work was published in a photographic book Tatau: Samoan Tattoo, New Zealand Art, Global Culture published by Te Papa Press, the publication arm of New Zealand's national museum Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is the national museum and art gallery of New Zealand, located in Wellington. It is branded and commonly known as Te Papa and Our Place; "Te Papa Tongarewa" is broadly translatable as "the place of treasures of this land".The museum's principles...

. The book features photographs by New Zealander Mark Adams accompanied by essays and interviews.

The tufuga ta tatau are respected masters of the traditional art of tattooing in Samoa. The traditional Samoan male tattoo is the pe'a

Pe'a

The Pe'a is the popular name of the traditional male tattoo of Samoa, which was originally called the malofie, a term used in the Samoan language chiefly vocabulary and 'respect' register .-Description:...

. The female tattoo is the malu

Malu

Malu can refer to:* Malu, a Samoan tattoo* Malu, Nepal* Malu, Giurgiu, a commune in Giurgiu County, Romania* Malu, a village in Bârla Commune, Argeş County, Romania* Malu, a village in Godeni Commune, Argeş County, Romania...

. The word tattoo is believed to have originated from the Samoan word tatau. In Samoan mythology

Samoan mythology

Samoan mythology tell stories of many different gods. There were gods of the forest, the seas, rain, harvest, villages and war. There were two types of gods, atua who had non-human origins and aitu who were of human origin. Tagaloa was a supreme god who made the islands and the people. Mafui'e was...

 the origin of the tatau is told in a legend about two sisters, Tilafaiga

Tilafaiga

According to a legend in Samoan mythology Tilafaiga was one of the siamese twin sisters who brought the art of tatau to Samoa from Fiti...

 and Taema

Taema

Taema is the name of a female figure referred to in different legends in Samoan mythology.-Different Legends:*One well known legend relates that Taema and her sister Tila faiga were the goddesses of tattooers. The sisters brought the art of tattooing to Samoa from Fiti. As they swam, the sisters...

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