§ Symbol
Fish
Iʻa
Polynesia at large
The fish (iʻa) symbolises abundance, sustenance and prosperity in Polynesian tattooing. Repeated in a row it represents the shoal and, by extension, the community.
§ How I draw it
6 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
Abundance, sustenance, prosperity.
On islands where life depended entirely on what the sea gave, the fish is the most direct sign of abundance and sustenance. It doesn't speak of accumulated wealth but of not going without.
Repeated in a row it changes meaning: it stops being an animal and becomes a shoal, and then it speaks of community, of moving with your people, and of what gets achieved being achieved together.
It usually appears as a filler border rather than a lead motif, closing a band or accompanying the waves.
§ How it's drawn
A diamond or elongated triangle with a forked tail, very schematic. In a border, solid and empty alternate so the row reads as a moving shoal.
§ Works well with
Interested in a piece with the fish?
In the consultation we work out how it fits your body and your story.
Book a consultation →