'Sometimes the Tattoo Just Chooses You'

Text by Arthur Hagopian

Images by James Reardon and Arthur Hagopian

Sometimes the tattoo just chooses you.

And thatıs sort of what happened on one of the Polynesian islands in March during our vacation there.

We had made up our minds before the trip that we wanted tattoos done by a Marquesan artist named George, whom we had met on two previous visits to the island of Huahine. They would be as authentic as you can get, and plus, James only half joked, how else do you ask George if you can take his picture?

George is intriguing because he is half-tattooed, vertically, shoulders to feet, front and back. The visual effect of all that ink on George is, surprisingly, not savage, but soft and spiritual. (The first time we met him in 1998 he was pool man and fire dancer at the Sofitel resort ­ and his face was unmarked; last year we happened upon a tattoo studio on a rainy day and found George had followed his obvious passion for tatau and his native Marquesan culture and had become the islandıs ink man. A steady stream of satisfied local men and women streamed in and out of his home all day as he helps re-introduce his neighbors to the ancient practice that was banned by meddling 19th Century missionaries who did not understand it. He only fire dances on special occasions, now, he says. Heıs just too busy. )

When we arrived on the island on a Saturday after a week of sailing, we checked in with George to make sure we still had an appointment the following Friday, our last day before returning to Boston. We did. And we were lucky to have it, too, as he was leaving for Hawaii the next day to tattoo an entire family.

What did we want? George asked.

Without hesitation and without any previous hand-wringing or discussion, James said he wanted a traditional ankle piece and pointed to just above an early skull-and-crossbones tattoo on his ankle to the area just below his calf. I hemmed and hawed, and browsed through George's flash and said I thought I wanted a turtle (symbolizes love) or a lizard (courage). George told us to return Friday morning at 8:30 and not to get sun burnt.

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