Veiqia tradition at risk, says tattoo practitioner

Fiji is down to only a handful of traditional tattoo practitioners, and one of them says the ancient art of veiqia (the traditional Fijian female tattooing practice) is slipping away faster than many realise.

Fiji - Māori visual artist Margaret Wall, who has links to Ra, Rakiraki and Rewa, is part of the Veiqia Project, which marks its 10-year anniversary this year with a new exhibition in Suva.

For a decade, the project has worked to revive veiqia, the cultural tattoo worn only by Marama ni Viti before the practice stopped abruptly in the early 1900s.

Ms Wall, among the few women trained at the beginning of the revival, says the knowledge, tools and meanings behind the marks have almost disappeared.

“This is not just art. It is memory. It is connection. And it was taken from us,” she said.

She describes her role as both a privilege and a responsibility.

“I’m not the first daubati. I’m just the first in a very long time,” she said. “My hope is that I’m only the beginning. We need more women to take up the tools again.”

Ms Wall said the biggest threat now is not stigma, but silence. Many young women do not know the marks exist, and even fewer understand their meaning.

“People think veiqia is something from the past. But we are living people. Our identity is living. These marks belonged to our mothers and grandmothers. They belong to us too,” she said.

Tomorrow, Ms Wall will conduct a marking session using modern hand-poke needles adapted from traditional techniques. She welcomes the public but urges respect for the sacred process.

“This is not a show. Come with good intentions. Come to support the woman being marked,” she said.

She also acknowledged the weavers, the Fiji Museum and the women who have kept the project alive.

Ms Wall encouraged young women to talk to their mothers and bubu about their vasu and lineage.

“Your marks are not just beauty. They tell your place in this world,” she said.

As the Veiqia Project enters its second decade, the message is clear: Fiji must act now, or the last threads of this cultural tattoo tradition may fade for good.