Koru Tatau

§ Symbology

What each symbol means.

The symbols I draw, explained in plain English and shown through my own designs. Under each name sits the original term, in case you want to know how it's really said.

12 symbols · 56 original drawings

Looking for the koru, the spiral the studio is named after? It has no entry here because I don't draw it on its own: it lives inside other pieces, holding the composition together. The full explanation is in this article (in Spanish).

  1. 01 ——

    Turtle

    Honu

    Polynesia · especially Hawaii

    The sea turtle stands for a long life, good health and the journey that ends at home.

    Polynesian turtle with a tiki face inside the shell, a patterned rim and spiral rear flippers, drawing by Leo Martínez.Turtle with a large round-eyed tiki face filling the shell and spirals on the rear flippers, drawing by Leo Martínez.Turtle with the shell filled with bands of shark teeth and hatched flippers, drawing by Leo Martínez.+4

  2. 02 ——

    Tiki

    Polynesia · Marquesas and Aotearoa

    The first man in several Polynesian traditions and, by extension, the ancestor who protects. A frontal face with big eyes.

    Marquesan-style tiki face with the tongue out and, below it, a block of concentric eyes, drawing by Leo Martínez.Māori hei tiki figure with rounded linework and soft shading, drawing by Leo Martínez.Vertical arm band with stylised tiki faces, spirals and shading, drawing by Leo Martínez.

  3. 03 ——

    Shark teeth

    Niho manō

    Polynesia at large · strong in Samoa and Hawaii

    Bands of triangles standing in for a shark's jaw. Protection and strength.

    Shark-teeth border in four interlocking rows forming diamonds, drawing by Leo Martínez.+3

  4. 04 ——

    Manta ray

    Hīhīmanu

    Polynesia at large · Hawaiian term

    A large animal that glides without effort. Freedom, grace and a calm kind of protection.

    Wide-winged manta ray with patterned wings, a centre of concentric circles and a long curving tail, drawing by Leo Martínez.Manta ray with a tiki face on the body, finely patterned wings and a long curving tail, drawing by Leo Martínez.Symmetrical manta ray seen from above, with a split central circle and a straight tail, drawing by Leo Martínez.

  5. 05 ——

    Whale tail

    Tohorā

    Māori · Aotearoa

    The whale accompanies the crossings in Māori stories. Its tail concentrates strength, protection and the road.

    Large whale tail resolved with koru spirals and graduated shading, drawing by Leo Martínez.Solid whale tail with koru spirals left in reserve, drawing by Leo Martínez.Whale tail with concentric spirals on the lobes and a triangle-patterned peduncle, drawing by Leo Martínez.Whale tail seen in profile, in open linework filled with triangles and bands, drawing by Leo Martínez.

  6. 06 ——

    Hammerhead shark

    Manō kihikihi

    Polynesia · Hawaiian term

    The shark as guardian of the sea. The hammer adds a very wide gaze: seeing things coming.

    Large curving hammerhead shark with the body filled with hexagons, spirals and shark teeth, drawing by Leo Martínez.Diagonal hammerhead shark with the body divided into bands of geometric pattern, drawing by Leo Martínez.Hammerhead shark with open fins filled with bands of chevrons and hexagons, drawing by Leo Martínez.Compact hammerhead shark with stippled shading and a curving tail, drawing by Leo Martínez.

  7. 07 ——

    Fish

    Iʻa

    Polynesia at large

    The fish is the food that comes from the sea. Abundance, sustenance, and the prosperity you work for every day.

    Schematic fish with a solid arrowhead body and a crossed tail, drawing by Leo Martínez.Schematic fish with a double diamond outline and a crossed tail, drawing by Leo Martínez.+4

  8. 08 ——

    Fish scales

    Unahi

    Polynesia at large

    Armour that protects without taking away movement. Resilience that adapts instead of resisting.

    Fish-scale border made of overlapping concentric arcs between two rules, drawing by Leo Martínez.

  9. 09 ——

    Ocean

    Moana

    Polynesia at large

    The sea isn't scenery: it's the road, the larder and the origin. Life, movement, the link between islands.

    Border of Polynesian waves with solid curved crests on a straight base, drawing by Leo Martínez.+1

  10. 10 ——

    Bird

    Manu

    Polynesia at large · Rapa Nui

    The one that moves between earth and sky. Freedom and message.

    Schematic bird with open wings and a vertical body, drawing by Leo Martínez.Schematic bird with a diamond-shaped head, drawing by Leo Martínez.Human figure with open wings, halfway between person and bird, drawing by Leo Martínez.+4

  11. 11 ——

    Sun

    Rā

    Polynesia at large

    The motif that usually holds the centre of a composition. Leadership, vital energy, and what doesn't run out.

    Large Polynesian sun with a crown of arcs and a four-armed core, drawing by Leo Martínez.Polynesian sun with thick serrated rays and a four-armed core, drawing by Leo Martínez.Broad-lined sun with a crown of loose arcs and a cross-shaped core, drawing by Leo Martínez.+6

  12. 12 ——

    Borneo rose

    Bunga terung

    Iban · Borneo (not Polynesian)

    The aubergine flower of the Iban of Borneo. It marks the moment of leaving home and standing on your own.

    Lobed Borneo rose with an open central spiral, drawing by Leo Martínez.Eight-lobed Borneo rose with a central spiral, drawing by Leo Martínez.Borneo rose with four cut-out petals and an eight-armed cross at the centre, drawing by Leo Martínez.+3

No symbol means the same thing on every island.

This guide is written from the craft and from reading, not from an authority that isn't mine to claim. Where a motif belongs to a specific tradition, it says so. And where something isn't Polynesian at all —like the Borneo rose— it says that too.

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