Sterilising the art of Samoan tattooing

By REBECCA WALSH

Su'a William Sio remembers the pain like a razor blade cutting in and out of his back.

He was 27 and had returned to Samoa "arrogant" and confident he could endure the eight days it would take to tattoo his body from his ribcage to the knees.

People warned him he could die. That his body and spirit might not stand up to it.

But like his father before him, he was determined.

"It's a ritual of becoming a man. I felt like, let me prove myself to myself."

At the end of each day Mr Sio's body was bathed and in the weeks that followed people would massage his cut skin "over and over again" to force the pus out. The itching as his body healed was almost unbearable.

A full-body tattoo, known as pe'a or tatau, is seen as a sign of manhood in the Samoan culture, and more and more young Pacific Islanders are choosing them.

But not every tatau is successful. Last year South Auckland man James Leota-Tui died in Middlemore Hospital after abandoning a second attempt to have the traditional tattoo completed. A coroner's inquest revealed that the 29-year-old died of acute heart failure due to septicaemic shock, caused by an infection acquired during the tattooing.

Testing of the tattooist's tools and ink revealed they were contaminated with a variety of bacteria.

The tattooist, who performed the work on Mr Leota-Tui, did not face any criminal charges. His wife said that her husband, who had tattooed hundreds of people without incident, had buried his tools in the garden and had "resigned forever".

This week coroner Dr Murray Jamieson made a number of recommendations to improve the safety of traditional tattooing. Among them was a call for instruments be sterilised in an ultrasonic cleaner, that Ministry of Health guidelines be followed and that tattooists refer clients who developed infections to doctors.

Mr Sio, a Manukau City Councillor, believes the appropriate place for traditional tattooing is Samoa but says if people are going to have the tattoos done in New Zealand they need to be aware of the need for cleanliness and safety. He doesn't believe the recommendations would interfere with tradition.

Mataa'fa' Tasi Patea, president of the New Zealand Samoan Malofie Association, says while many tattooists are careful - using ultrasonic cleaners, wearing gloves and using new needles - he acknowledges others are not.

He suggests workshops for tattooists.

"Samoan people may be having difficulty with the language. They may feel unease about the new environment ... it may cause them to go underground. More awareness is the key.

"The community really needs to get behind it now. We need to stomp out the bad ones."

The association has about 100 members, which includes tattooists and those who have been tattooed.

No one knows how many backyard operators there are.

Cultural tattooists are exempt from Manukau City Council bylaws on tattoos and body piercings but draft health and hygiene guidelines are being discussed with members of the Samoan community.

Environmental health team leader Ian Milnes said the council wanted a sterilisation process added to the ritual, with tools sterilised before use.