Sua Sulu'ape Paulo II

(1949-1999)

Samoan chief and tattoo artist

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Su'a Sulu'ape Paulo II (1949/1950 – 25 November 1999) was a tufuga ta tatau (master tattooist) born in Matafa'a near Lefaga, Samoa but based in New Zealand since the 1970s. He was born and into one of the leading families of tattooists tufuga ta tatau in Samoa. The tattooists in these families, are loosely organized in a guild like system of master and apprentices. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries tufuga ta tatau were known internationally for their culturally distinctive and highly skilled work. The word tattoo is believed to have originated from the word tatau. In Samoan mythology the origin of the tatau is told in a legend about two sisters, Tilafaiga and Taema who brought the tools and knowledge of tattooing to Samoa. The Samoan male tattoo (tatau) is the pe'a. The female tatau is the malu.