Guy - Oahu, HI, USA

Guy is a Hawaiian. Actually, his mother is full-blooded Hawaiian and his father is Hawaiian-English. Guy is Hawaiian through and through, and his tattoos show it. At first his tattoo may look fairly simple – two rows of inverted triangles running down his arm – but the design is rich with imagery.

First off, the triangles are icons for the mountain ranges and ocean waves of Hawaii; they also represent the sharp objects such as the knives, spears, and fish hooks that native Hawaiians use for survival. Close inspection reveals that the triangles are inverted. “The triangles are not upwards anymore, because of the fall of Hawaii,” explains Guy. “When they locked up our Queen, that was the start of the fall of the Hawaiian people. When that happened, the tattoo which represents us, that was upright, was gone. Everything went down. You ain’t got an empire anymore, it’s a state now. It’s not a nation anymore.”

One line of triangles goes down the center of Guy’s arm, from the shoulder to the wrist. From the shoulder to the elbow, the second row of triangles runs down the left side of the center line. That represents the mountains. From the elbow down to the wrist, the triangles run down the right side of the center line. That represents the ocean. Guy explains the connection to the fall of Hawaii. “Most people think that we got ripped off. That’s why, when I put this tattoo on, I want it to represent the things from the oceans and the mountains. It gives me the right to say that whatever is in the oceans and on the mountain, it gives me the right to say it belongs to me – as a Hawaiian.”

The two rows of triangles alternate from light to dark, representing the “heart and soul” of the Hawaiian people. This particular design is a family mark, begun by one of Guy’s uncles. “Somebody else, you gotta come up with another idea.”

Guy now has a son, and will be adding the row of triangles across his chest to represent his lineage “close to his heart.” He will be adding the design down his leg as well, and “When I pass away,”he adds, “I’m going to have my face tattooed. It’s going to all be joined up together.”

Finally, Guy also has the word “Hawaiian” tattooed on his inner arm. “That’s my bloodline.”

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