Wairua kaha, more commonly known as stick and poke, is a traditional tattoo worn with pride. As a resident you have to earn your first tattoo and there is a ceremony attached to it. As a tourist you can buy these. The prices are what the standard prices as in the UBN.
Wairua Kaha
Wairua kaha, better known as stick and poke, is a traditional tattoo that must be earned. Whenever you have earned this masterpiece, it must be worn with great pride!
Wairua Kaha stands for strong spirit because of the following legend: a great Whenuan warrior started living on his own, before going into the biggest battle of his life: the battle with the underworld! He lived in nature and became one with it. He saw how animals fought and was inspired by them. He used this inspiration as battleplans he tattooed on his body in an artistic form. That way no one but him understood them.
Another reason why it is called strong spirit, is because you have to be strong to get this tattoo. This type of tattooing is performed by using a needle dipped in ink and a wooden stick. (The inks are made from all natural products.) A stick and poke tattoo is known to be painful. But as a true inhabitant of Whenua you should never show your pain.
A new target audience has emerged and a new market: the tourists. Stick and poke is a rising trend around the world. It would be a shame not to go along with this. Recently, the residents have also opened up the art of tattooing to tourists.
However, there are some conditions attached to this. They don’t have to earn it like the locals do. This also means that they cannot have any sacred symbols of the Whenua faith.