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Director(s):
PORTRON (Jean-Loïc)
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Producer(s):
ARTE FRANCE
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Territories:
Worldwide.
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Production year:
2008
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Language(s):
German, English, French
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Rights:
NON-THEATRICAL, TV, VOD, DVD, INTERNET
In the Marquesas Islands, in the middle of the Pacific, a man was not deemed accomplished if he was not covered in tattoos. Tattoos then became forbidden and Marquesans forgot about them, but a few objects remain, like this effigy.
The object is made of a wooden armature, with a "tapa" (a piece of vegetal cloth) stretched tightly over it. The form closely resembles that of a human being. Its head, which is carved, can be clearly made out. The tapa is covered with black and brown decorations, inspired by tattoos.
The art of tattooing is intrinsically linked to Marquesan culture. It was both a right of entry into the world of men, and a protective barrier against evil influences, done by reinforcing the skin and body with decorations chosen for their symbolic, but also aesthetic power.
Tattoo image-signs in their diversity and design were sources of beauty, and conveyors of knowledge. They also passed on memories, were a guarantee of power and were a means of teaching.
The tattooer's equipment included a bamboo case, which contained an assortment of sharp-toothed combs, and various small hammer-like instruments, which were often secret and sacred and were sometimes kept for several generations. It also contained some samples of decorations.