§ Symbol
Turtle
Honu
Polynesia · especially Hawaii
The sea turtle (honu) symbolises longevity, health, safe travel and family in Polynesian culture, especially in Hawaii, where it is regarded as a protective family spirit (ʻaumakua).
§ How I draw it
5 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
Longevity, safe journey, family.
The honu is one of the best-loved animals across the whole Pacific. It travels thousands of kilometres and always returns to the beach where it was born, so it's tied to safe travel, to finding your bearings and to coming back to your people.
Its long life also brings health and longevity into the reading. In Hawaii it's considered an ʻaumakua, a protective family spirit, and on several islands it's linked to fertility and to the family holding together.
By some distance it's the motif most requested by clients who want a Polynesian tattoo with a concrete, positive meaning. It takes a lot of surface: the shell works as a canvas for patterns, tiki faces or shark teeth, depending on what each piece needs to say.
§ How it's drawn
An oval shell filled with pattern —hexagons, triangles, spirals— with four curved flippers. In many versions the shell hides a tiki face: protection inside the protection.
§ Works well with
Interested in a piece with the turtle?
In the consultation we work out how it fits your body and your story.
Book a consultation →