§ Symbol
Hammerhead shark
Manō kihikihi
Polynesia · Hawaiian term
The hammerhead shark (manō kihikihi, in Hawaiian) is associated in Polynesian tattooing with guidance, determination and protection. In Hawaii some families regard the shark as their ʻaumakua, an ancestral guardian.
§ How I draw it
4 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
Guidance, determination, protection at sea.
Across much of Polynesia the shark isn't a monster but a respected animal. In Hawaii, some families hold the shark (manō) as their ʻaumakua, an ancestral guardian in animal form. Manō kihikihi is the Hawaiian name for the hammerhead.
The hammerhead adds a note of its own: eyes at the ends of the head give it a very wide field of vision. In today's tattooing that reads as anticipation and as the determination of someone who knows where they're going.
It's a long, narrow motif by nature, so it asks for elongated areas: ribs, calf, forearm or the full run of a sleeve. Forcing it into a square shape blurs it.
§ How it's drawn
An elongated, curving silhouette with the characteristic T-shaped head. The body is filled with hexagons, shark teeth, bands and spirals; the caudal fin ends in a sharp point.
§ Works well with
Interested in a piece with this symbol?
In the consultation we work out how it fits your body and your story.
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