§ Symbol
Manta ray
Hihimanu
Polynesia · Hawaii and Tahiti
The manta ray (hihimanu in Hawaiian) symbolises freedom, elegance and calm protection in Polynesian tattooing. Its wings suit the shoulder blade, chest and ribs particularly well.
§ How I draw it
3 original drawings
None of these drawings gets tattooed as it is. They're the starting point: in the consultation the motif is adapted to your anatomy and to the rest of the piece.
§ Meaning
Freedom, grace, quiet protection.
The manta ray glides through the ocean without agitation and without leaving a trace. Hence the reading: freedom of movement, elegance, and a strength that doesn't need displaying. In Hawaiian, hihimanu means something close to «magnificent».
Because it doesn't attack and yet nothing takes it on, it's also associated with calm protection and with knowing how to steer around trouble rather than charging at it.
Graphically it's one of the motifs that best fits the body: the wings open along the curve of a shoulder blade, a pectoral or the ribs almost without forcing the design, and the tail resolves the exit towards the arm or the hip.
§ How it's drawn
A diamond body with two wide wings and a long tail. The cephalic horns mark the front. The body usually holds a tiki face or a central spiral from which the whole pattern radiates.
§ Works well with
Interested in a piece with the manta ray?
In the consultation we work out how it fits your body and your story.
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