Do you like tattoos? These beautiful and sometimes strange drawings come have their origin in French Polynesia, more than 400 years ago.

There’s even a legend about god Tohu, the god of tattoo, who beautifully painted fish and patterns with vibrant colors.

But the first European person to ever use the word “tattoo” was naturalist Joseph Banks, aboard HMS Endeavour, describing “the way they mark themselves indelibly, each of them is so marked by their humor or disposition”.

In Polynesian culture, tattooing is a traditional method of acquiring spiritual power, strength and protection, and a tattoo is a symbol of character and hierarchy – the place of the tattoo is determined by genealogy and social status. While untattooed people were seen as belonging to the lowest social level, tattooed warriors were a lot more attractive to women.

Considered an art, tattooing is a sacred ceremony, and before getting a permanent mark, the person should go through a long “cleansing” period, which would include fasting and sexual abstinence.

Nowadays, tattoos are seen more as an adorn, but in Polynesian culture they were only made in important life moments, such as the beginning of adolescence.