{"product_id":"tahiti-tattoos-gian-paolo-barbieri-9780764372179","title":"Tahiti Tattoos: An Illustrated History of Tahiti's Ancient Tattoo Traditions","description":"This book is a richly illustrated journey into the sacred art of Tahitian tattooing, tracing its origins, meanings, and enduring cultural power. Long before tattoos traveled the world, the people of Tahiti practiced \u003cem\u003etatau\u003c\/em\u003e as a living language--one inscribed on skin to mark genealogy, social rank, spiritual protection, and personal identity. Each line, curve, and motif carried stories of gods, warriors, navigators, and the natural world.\u003cbr\u003e Through vivid illustrations inspired by traditional designs and historical accounts, this book explores how tattoos were created using ancestral tools, natural pigments, and ceremonial rituals that bound the individual to the community. Readers will discover the deep symbolism behind iconic patterns and learn how tattooing functioned as both art and rite of passage.\u003cbr\u003e The book also confronts a pivotal turning point: the arrival of European missionaries in the 18th and 19th centuries, when tattooing was suppressed and nearly lost. Yet \u003cem\u003etatau\u003c\/em\u003e endured. In the modern era, Tahitian artists and cultural guardians have led a powerful revival, reclaiming tattooing as an expression of heritage, resistance, and pride.\u003cbr\u003e Both an art book and a cultural history, \u003cem\u003eTahiti Tattoos\u003c\/em\u003e honors the skin as a canvas of memory and the tattoo as a bridge between past and present.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Gian Paolo Barbieri\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0764372173\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780764372179\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Schiffer Publishing\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/28\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 120\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.10lbs","brand":"Gian Paolo Barbieri","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":48874594402559,"sku":"9780764372179","price":45.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/tahiti-tattoos-gian-paolo-barbieri-9780764372179","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}