Handy — Tattooing in the Marquesas 19 



ground in black, the conclusion suggests itself that such motives as the 

 pahito (PI. XXIII, A, j and k, left and right) and the flamelike ends of 

 triangles (xviii, xix A) may be copies of the black background left by 

 gouging alongside a line in the one case and by cutting short lines 

 vertically out from a straight line in the other. It seems as if the 

 checkerboard pattern, of which but one example is extant, must have 

 originally been carved on wood (PI. xxi, D, a). Parallel and wavy 

 lines and other adzing and carving concepts are used on the body, as 

 seen in the preceding example. It will be noticed that most of these 

 coincidences are found in Nuku Hiva, Ua Pou or early Fatu Hiva types, 

 rather than in the prevalent modern patterns, though among these are 

 two examples of the scroll so prominent in carving (see also Pis. xxxviii, 

 D; xxxv, c). 



Wood carving, as distinguished from adzing, which decorated bowls, 

 paddles, clubs, etc., seems to be a mixture of adzing patterns, geometric 

 squarish spirals and a few of the conventional motives usual in tattooing. 

 Of carving technique copies such as the veining along a midrib (PI. 

 xxviii E) are found in tattooing; of carving design, similarities to old 

 war club patterns (PI. vi, B; x. A, 2, a; the tava, which was formerly 

 burned on a plank in the house of the inspirational priest (PI. xvi, m) ; 

 and such small units as the tiki in forehead and mouth bands of Plate ill, 7. 

 Common to both carving and tattooing are such conventional motives as 

 the honu kea or woodlouse, the 7nata hoata or brilliant eye, the ka'ake 

 or underarm curve, the poka'a or wooden block for carrying a load on 

 the shoulder, the enafa or man. Whether these motives originated as 

 wood carving patterns or as body decoration and in which direction the 

 transfer and adaption was made it is impossible to say definitely. 



Several interesting possibilities are suggested by an analysis of the 

 various motives called kea today. It would appear that the kea of com- 

 mon occurrence on wood is really a conventionalization of the hoim kea 

 or woodlouse with its six legs and two antennae. This was seen but 

 once in tattooing, on the wrist of an old woman of Fatu Hiva (PI. vii. A, 

 J, a) and was drawn by an artist of Fatu Hiva as a former unit there 

 (PI. XVI, K). On the other hand, the usual body kea (PI. xxii, B, b 

 center) may very well be a simple conventionalization of one of the 

 carved tortoise-shell plaques of the paekea or crown — a carved product 

 of Hiva Oa — the motive having been borrowed from shell rather than from 

 wood carving. There is a motive found today in tattooing on Ua Pou ( PI. 

 XX, A, e ; xxi, D, h) and depicted also as an early Fatu Hiva unit (PI. ix, 

 A, b) which resembles the e honu, tortoise, drawn by Langsdorff, and 

 this, which has disappeared from Hiva Oa tattooing, may perhaps be said 



