Upholding Sacred Boundaries: Why I Honor the Line Between Tongan Tatatau and Samoan Tatau
- King Cocker
- 6 days ago
- 7 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
By King ‘Afa Polynesian Tattoo Ambassador | Tongan Tattoo Artist
In 2010, I had the honor of being invited by Sua Suluape Sii Liufau, a respected Samoan tufuga tatau & Samoan tattoo artist and founder of A-Town Tattoo in Garden Grove, California, to attend a traditional Samoan tatau ceremony. This sacred ritual was performed by Suluape Lafaele, a Samoan tatau master tattooist visiting from Samoa, on one of my former Tongan clients from Texas who was receiving a Tongan tattoo in my studio.
Also in attendance were respected Tongan and Samoan community figures including late Fine Sekona from Foui Village, Hihifo Tongatapu, and Sione Laulea American Tongan of Hahake heritage Tongatapu from Oakland, California.
As someone who was raised in Tonga and trained under the strict protocols of my Tonga elders and chiefly lineage, this was not just a cultural experience—it was a moment of deep reverence.
Understanding the Difference: Tongan Tatatau vs. Samoan Tatau Pe'a and Malu
Many Polynesian tattoo fans in the U.S., particularly American-born Tongans, often blur the lines between Samoan tatau pe’a, malu, and revival of Tongan tattoo and tatatau. While we are all brothers and sisters in the Polynesian Tagata Pasifika family, it is crucial to respect cultural boundaries and protocols. In Tonga, traditional Tongans do not practice the Samoan tatau ritual unless it is allowed to be performed by a Samoan tufuga tatau. This is not a matter of pride—this is a matter of protocol, sacred respect, and ancestral duty.
The Sacred Lineage of Our Traditions
In ancient Tonga, the art of tatatau was practiced before the ban of 1839, enacted under TaufaaHau King Tupou I. Our Tongan tattooing traditions are not the same as the Samoan tattoo pe’a or malu, although they share historical connections. It is believed and taught by elders in Tonga that Samoan tufuga tatau in Tonga helped revive our tatatau traditions—but never were Tongans allowed to practice the Samoan ritual themselves unless by Samoan Tongan appointed by an Estate Noble Chief of Lords or the King of Tonga.
In the United States of America, Australia and New Zealand today, some Tongans living overseas believe that marrying a Samoan or growing up with Samoans and receiving a Samoan tatau gives them the right to practice or rename this tatau gift from a Samoan tufuga tattoo master as a “Tongan malu” or a “Tongan pe’a.” https://www.samoaobserver.ws/category/samoa/111952
This is not only culturally inaccurate, but this act disrespects the sacred ancestral lineage of the Samoan tufuga and dishonors the chiefly systems of both Tonga and Samoa.
Two Paths of Leadership: Bloodline Inheritance vs. Community Appointment in Tongan and Samoan Chiefly Systems
The Tongan Chiefly system, known as the Ha‘a Houeiki, and the Samoan Chiefly system, lead by the Paramount Chiefs of Samoa known as the Ali‘i Matai, represent two distinct frameworks of ancient Polynesian leadership still practice today—each rooted in their own ancestral customs, protocols, and societal values.
In Samoa, a Paramount Chief ( Ali‘i Matai ) can appoint branches of Matai titles to individuals under his command. These Samoan Chief Matai title holders can appoint their own Tulafale an orator who pass on the message of the Matai to the people. The Samoan Matai Chief can appoint and install a Samoan Matai Chief title on a Samoans including Samoans living overseas who have brought honor or recognition to the
" Samoa" name—such as celebrities like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, rugby legends like Inga Tuigamala https://youtu.be/0IzfYskXAUI?si=JO-My63_QX4TjSfKand Keven Mealamu, or boxer David Tua.
These titles reflect service to the Samoan identity and the Faa-Samoa (Samoan way of life) even if the individual resides abroad. There are Tongan artist who had received a Samoan Matai Title from the Samoan Matai in Samoa and they live overseas but they cannot receive a Chiefly titile in Tonga.
By contrast, Tongan Chiefly system, titles are inherited strictly through bloodlines within the Ha‘a Houeiki: Estate Noble Chiefs of Lords and cannot be gifted or appointed based on popularity or public stature. A Tongan Estate Noble Chief must reside in Tonga, actively serve the people, attend royal and community obligations, and uphold the cultural responsibilities passed down through the noble estates. A Tongan Noble Chief of Lord appoints his own Matapule; Attending Talking Chief. This fundamental difference highlights the strict hereditary structure of the Tongan system, versus the flexible, merit-based appointments often practiced within the Samoan Matai system.
Tradition Is Not a Trend
There is a growing trend in places like Utah and Hawaii where new Tongan tattoo artists are performing traditional tatau rituals and calling them Tongan ceremonies. This creates conflict and confusion—not just among our Tongan and Samoan people, but in the larger global Polynesian tattoo community.
These actions violate the pukepuke fonua—the traditional values and cultural foundation of Tonga and does not follow and honor the Tonga Coat of Arm’s mission “Koe Otua mo Tonga Ko Hoku Tofia”, Samoan Tatau is not part of Tonga’s Tofia (Inheritance).
The Tongan Royal Family, the 33 Estate Noble Chiefs of Lords, and the seven clans of the Ha’a Havea are the custodians of our Tongan traditions, code of honors and cultural values.
Any Tongan cultural revival or cultural fusion must be approved through formal channels, not claimed by Tongan individuals with personal sentiment or overseas identity politics.
Why I Will Never Practice the Samoan Tatau Ritual
Though I was invited to witness the sacred pe’a, I was raised by my paternal grandmother, the granddaughter of a Tui Lakepa title holder grandfather,1 of the 33 Clans of Estate Noble Chiefs of Tonga, and trained by my Tongan-British grandfather, a descendant of the first British Consulate in Tonga, Joshua Cocker, who was appointed by Taufa'aHau King Tupou 1 in 1860. He is known as the modern king of Tonga who gave an order to ban the practice of tatatu in Tonga.
I was mentored with the understanding that our Tongan, Samoan, and Fijian tradition is sacred and not to be tampered with.
In 2012, I was honored by Honorable Princess Frederica Lupe’uluiva Fatafehi 'o Lapaha Tuita, daughter of the Royal Princess Pilolevu and Tonga Royal Family, to perform her tattoo. This trust is not given lightly—it is a duty that only someone with deep cultural and genealogical knowledge of Tongan heritage can carry.
Though geographically closest to Samoa, the remote northern Tongan islands of Niuafoʻou, Niuatoputapu, and Tafahi do not practice the sacred Samoan tatau rituals—despite centuries of cultural proximity and shared familial ties.
The Niua people of these tropical volcanic islands of Tonga speak a dialect that carries strong Samoan linguistic influence, and their ancestral bonds with Manua, Tutuila, Savai’i and Upolu are well documented.
Yet, even in these deeply connected island communities, the traditional Samoan pe‘a and malu ceremonies have never been practiced. This silence is not out of disregard, but out of respect for the sacred boundaries that our ancestors clearly defined.
The people of Niua know the difference between shared blood and sacred ritual—they maintain their Tongan identity while honoring their ancestral connections with Samoa.
This is living proof that you can be close without crossing the line, and that true cultural respect means knowing where tradition begins and where it must be preserved.
To My Fellow Tongans Living Abroad
If you disagree with my stance, I encourage you to visit Tonga. Live among our people. Sit in a faikava council meeting. Learn the cultural layers of our traditions before trying to redefine what they mean from afar.
In our 3000 years old Tongan Civilization culture, protocol is protection—for our ancestors, for our people, and for our future.
Respect for All Pacific Traditions
Just as we honor the Americans, Australians, New Zealand and Europeans, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Italian, Fijian, Samoan, Muslim, Bahai, Filipino, Indo-Fijian and Indian communities practicing their culture in Tonga, we must respect the sacred boundaries within Pasifika Polynesia and Oceania. https://youtu.be/QlJGk600Qpw?si=jV3FscPUek6UcOJy
A Tongan Royal Kava Ceremony or a Chiefly Kava Ceremony should not use a Samoan kava bowl, or serve kava in a faa-Samoa way or a Fijian Taukei kava ceremony style.
Each tradition has its place, its purpose, and its people.
“Born into Honor: A Life of Service Beyond Titles.
I was never taught to claim a chiefly title or live as if I were above anyone. I was taught to serve—to uphold the dignity of my people through action, not status.
As a descendant of the Lavulo Clan, I carry a name that is already steeped in honor and tradition—a name that stands without the need for additional titles.
In Tongan custom, those born into certain chiefly or noble lineages, like the Lavulo and Cockers do not hold or accept Matapule (Attending Chief) titles, as the name itself holds mana—cultural authority, dignity, and ancestral responsibility.
I cannot and will not accept any other "Chiefly or Honorable" title, whether from any clans in Tonga, Samoa, or Fiji, because my ancestral blood already speaks for itself. My paternal grandmother, though of noble descent of the Estate Noble Chief Tui Lakepa of Ofu Island Vavau Group, https://youtu.be/bVrzirWCPBQ?si=IqVIOXIC6BfFduae she could not be installed as a chief due to her gender as a woman under Tongan traditional law, and therefore she must married an outsider a "palangi-lo’i"—a biracial Tongan-British man from the respected Cocker family of Tonga, who served as British Consulate of Tonga under King Tupou I.
On both sides of my lineage, I inherit names and legacies that are deeply embedded in the Tonga cultural, artistic, and historical foundations of the Tongan people.
Final Words
As a Polynesian tattoo artist, a Tongan Tattoo Ambassador, a Pacific Island cultural preservationist, my mission is not to divide, but to protect what was passed down to me. I invite all who wish to learn to do so with humility, curiosity, and respect.
I come from both sides of honor, and I’ve been on this mission all my life—not to wear a title, but to carry the weight of my ancestors through service, art, and cultural preservation.
For inquiries, collaborations, or cultural education, visit www.kingafa.com.
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