Carl Cocker: The First Professional Tongan Tattoo Artist | TVNZ Networks— Tagata Pasifika Documentary (2002)

Step back into the early 2000s with this historic Polynesian Pacific Islands documentary segment from New Zealand TVNZ Network's Pacific News Tagata Pasifika, featuring 21-year-old Carl Cocker—the youngest Polynesian tattoo artist at the time—marking the beginning of a global Tongan tattoo renaissance.

At a time when Polynesian tattooing was dominated by Samoan, Māori, RaroTonga Mangaia Cook Islands, Tahitian, Marquesan, and Hawaiian tattoo artist masters, Carl Cocker aka KALia broke through as the first professionally recognized Tongan tattoo artist in New Zealand and across the Pacific regions and worldwide. https://youtu.be/DSipc5t_4Gg?si=AQcirM4r2ASNYb0Y

This rare 2002 documentary footage captures Carl Cocker’s rise among legendary Samoan tattoo tufuga tatau, Maori tattoo tamoko, Tahiti tatouage, Hawaiian tattoo kakau, and Marquesan tattoo patutiki tatouer —an era when "Tongan tattoo" was unknown as a household and in the professional scene. https://tattoonesia.blogspot.com/2008/02/

By 2006, Carl Cocker was not only the first Tongan tattoo artist to represent Tonga at the prestigious Tattoonesia Tatau i Tahiti Polynesian Tattoo Convention , hosted by the Tahiti Government and Tourism Board—but he also won 1st Place, coming just behind Japanese tattoo artist Shige. https://youtu.be/WNfzL76k0c8?si=W1n7yC4LZLU_lu00

This video—later replayed and distributed by Coconet TV in 2015—marks the beginning of a 20+ year journey. Carl Cocker continues to lead the Tongan tattoo revolution, blending ancestral storytelling with modern mastery, and has paved the way for a new generation of Polynesian artists.

thecoconet.tv is a hub for Pacific Islands moving image content online, It was funded by New Zealand NZ On Air https://www.nzonair.govt.nz/watch-and-listen/

👉 For media inquiries, press interviews, or documentary collaborations, please contact us here: kaliatattoo25@gmail.com

The Mission to Revive Tongan Tattoo: 20+ Years of Cultural Revolution
Since the early 2000s, Carl Cocker—founder of Kalia Tattoo Studio in Auckland, New Zealand and later in Australia—has led a bold mission to revive and restore Tongan tattoo (tatatau) art as a vital part of Pacific Island Tongans cultural identity.

In 2002, Carl’s wife, Janet Hopoi-Cocker, officially registered the name Kalia Tattoo and tongantattoo.com world wide web domain name, marking the beginning of a cultural revolution in Polynesian tattoo culture.

This featured video captures a powerful moment in 2014 when Carl invited Sua Suluape Peter—the son of Sua Alaiva‘a Petelo Suluape and nephew of the legendary Sua Paulo Suluape—to Kalia Tattoo Studio in Papatoetoe, Auckland. https://youtu.be/8O4DhXclU0Q?si=e59Kc17ulKar8r-t

In this sacred session, Peter Suluape tattooed both Carl and his wife Janet in honor of their dedication to Pacific tattoo revival. No Samoan tattoo pe‘a or malu was requested or performed but a Tongan tattoo art on Carl's thigh and a Samoan tattoo art on her leg both using traditional authentic art of Tonga and Samoa.

Carl and Janet, out of respect for Samoan tatau protocols, does not use traditional Samoan tools, knowing full well that only tufuga of Samoan lineage may carry that right.

Raised in Tonga, and Fiji, Carl and his brother, King ‘Afa were taught the value of honoring sacred boundaries. https://www.kingafa.com/

Our mission has always been to revive authentic Tongan tattooing, not to replicate Samoan ceremonies. Despite Janet Hopoi Cocker’s partial Samoan ancestry—her grandmother migrated from Samoa to Tonga during the Samoa civil war—we never crossed into ritual spaces reserved for tufuga tatau families. Instead, we focused on preserving Tongan art, symbolism, and traditional protocols with the same spiritual seriousness. https://youtu.be/AiBnBjkcmOI?si=bxJOYipqxFntqaOE

Carl Cocker's journey included a mentorship at Moko Ink, the first Māori and Polynesian tattoo studio in New Zealand, under Inia Taylor III, from 2003–2006.

It is important to honor the pioneers who helped bring Polynesian tattoo culture to the global stage. Inia Taylor III, a respected Māori tā moko master and founder of Moko Ink, served as the Assistant Art Director for the landmark New Zealand film Once Were Warriors (1994). This powerful cinematic work was the first international feature film to expose audiences to Polynesian tattooing—specifically Māori tā moko—on VHS and DVD, long before the era of streaming platforms. The film played a pivotal role in raising awareness of indigenous identity, trauma, and cultural survival. For young Polynesians and emerging tattoo artists, it serves as a reminder that our ancestral marks have long carried stories of strength, resistance, and pride. Inia Taylor’s artistic contributions both onscreen and in real life continue to influence the Polynesian tattoo revival across Aotearoa and the Pacific diaspora. https://youtu.be/N0-Q3ChKcfE?si=LcipvqbJRDBdcIfM

There, we studied Māori tattoo art of tā moko and puhoro, Cook Islands tattooing from Mangaia and Rarotonga, and respectfully observed Samoan tattoo art of tatau and ceremonies led by the Suluape family. Though we witnessed sacred rituals, we never claimed them as our own. https://youtu.be/Gq8iLrMWBh4?si=n8lJr904ynGnuBdT

At a time when tattooing in Tonga was considered outlawed—linked to rebellion and criminality—we began to reframe tattooing as a form of cultural pride and ancestral storytelling. Over the past 20 years, Tongan tattoo has transformed into a respected Tongan cultural art, now embraced by church leaders, Tonga Government officials, Nobles, Royal family, professionals, educators, and Pacific Island communities worldwide.

For many Tongans abroad—especially those unable to return home due to illness or distance—Tongan tattoo has become a living inheritance (tofia), a sacred expression of lineage, remembrance, and pride. We built this legacy not for fame, but for future generations.

This 2014 video of Sua Suluape Peter tattooing at Kalia Tattoo stands as a rare and historic moment of Pacific unity, cultural respect, and mutual admiration.

🔥 Suppressed History: The Banned of Tattoo; Tatatau in Tonga by TaufaaHau King Tupou I

The ancient practice of Tongan tattoo (tatatau) and Samoan tatau was officially banned in the Kingdom of Tonga under the reign of King TaufaaHau Tupou I, who issued the 1839 Vavaʻu Code of Laws. Contrary to popular belief, this ban was not due to Christian missionaries—it was a royal decree by TaufaaHau, later known as King George Tupou I, who sought to restructure Tongan society under a modern legal framework. The sacred tatau rituals brought to Tonga by Samoan migrants and Samoan clans integrated into the Tui-Tonga, Tui HaaTakaLaUa, and Tui-KanokUpolu dynasties were no longer permitted. This marked a historical turning point where tattooing in Tonga was suppressed forbidden as in the Tongan language tapu aka tabu.

Carl Cocker’s own lineage ties directly to this pivotal era. His paternal ancestor, Joshua Cocker, arrived in Tonga from Britain in 1860 with his wife and two sons. Joshua Cocker was appointed by TaufaaHau King Tupou I as the official British Consulate to Tonga, playing a key role in diplomatic relations and in the assembly of the Tonga Coat of Arms (Tongan Seal). He later became a leading commodity trader from Tonga port in the Pacific region. Carl Cocker's heritage is deeply connected to the Kingdom of Tonga’s nation-building, diplomacy, and now, through his work at Kalia Tattoo, the revival of a once-banned art form. https://malotonga.com/1HohokoCockersofTonga.html

This deeper truth highlights the importance of restoring Tongan tattoo culture (tatatau) with cultural accuracy and historical respect. Through Carl Cocker’s mission, the legacy of Tongan skin marking is no longer silenced, but celebrated—reclaiming what was once forbidden under royal law and restoring pride for future generations.

Understanding the Difference: Tongan Tatatau vs. Samoan Tatau Pe'a and Malu

Many Polynesian tattoo fans in the U.S., particularly American-born Tongans, often blur the lines between Samoan tatau pe’a, malu, and revival of Tongan tattoo and tatatau. While we are all brothers and sisters in the Polynesian Tagata Pasifika family, it is crucial to respect cultural boundaries and protocols.

In the Kingdom of Tonga, traditional Tongans do not perform the Samoan tatau ritual, unless it is formally conducted by a Samoan tattoo artist - tufuga tatau. This is not merely a matter of pride—it is a matter of protocol, sacred respect, and ancestral duty.

While an Estate Noble Chief (Lord) in Tonga may support or endorse the idea of allowing a tradition from Samoa or Fiji to be practiced within their estate, they cannot authorize such a cultural practice independently. The ultimate authority lies with His Majesty the King of Tonga, who serves as the head of the Privy Council and the protector of the kingdom’s cultural, religious, and political integrity.

Historically, the last Tui Tonga Laufilitonga received a traditional tatatau in Manu‘a, American Samoa, while Taufa‘ahau King Tupou I also received a tatatau in Manono, Upolu. Both events were carried out by Samoan tattoo tufuga tatau. However, TaufaaHau King Tupou I later decreed the practice of Samoan tatau to be discontinued in Tonga, recognizing that the expansion of the Samoan matai system and Samoan tatau - tattoo ceremonies within Tongan Samoan clans had previously contributed to internal conflict and civil war.

The last documented sketch of a Tongan tatatau was recorded in 1827 during the French Astrolabe expedition led by French naval officer Captain Jules Dumont d’Urville, and published in 1833 by artist Louis Auguste de Sainson. Since that time, the traditional practice of tatatau in Tonga—especially using Samoan ritual tools and ceremony—has not been revived on Tongan soil, despite several individuals of Tongan heritage receiving tatau overseas.

Even today, there are Tongan-New Zealanders, including matapule (attending chiefs) of estate noble lords in Tonga, who have traveled to Samoa to receive both Tongan-inspired tattoos and traditional Samoan pe‘a. However, this does not equate to practicing the Samoan tatau ceremony in Tonga. The traditional Samoan tatau ritual is not performed in the Kingdom of Tonga, 176 tropical islands and seas and those who have received it have done so with respect to Samoan protocol—outside the jurisdiction of Tongan traditional practice.

Yet, Tongans born and raised in New Zealand Australia the United States, Hawaii, Utah, and California often promote the idea of creating a “Tongan tatatau ceremony” modeled after the Samoan tatau ritual.

These ideas—though well-intentioned—lack the foundational understanding of Tui-Tonga’s cultural protocol, historical governance, and sacred boundaries. Tongan tattoo artists living abroad who receive traditional tatau from Samoan tufuga may genuinely believe they are reviving an ancient Tongan custom.

However, without deep immersion in the customs, chiefly systems, and ancestral wisdom of Tonga, such practices risk misrepresenting or reinventing traditions that were never historically part of Tongan ritual practice.

While many Tongans reference the 2019 ABC News article that highlights the discovery of the world's oldest tattooing kit in Tonga to justify claims that Tongans practiced traditional tattoo (tatatau), what is often misunderstood is who performed these tattoos and under what authority. The archaeological find confirms the presence of tattooing tools made from human and bird bones, but it does not confirm that Tongans independently practiced the Samoan tatau ritual.

Many of the "Tongans" who were tattooed historically, especially those who received full body tattoos similar to the pe‘a, were tattooed by Samoan tufuga tatau, either in Samoa or by Samoan Tongans living in Tonga—particularly those with direct ancestral ties or chiefly authority to perform these sacred rituals.

One important historical reference is the township of Pea in central Tongatapu. Many do not know that Pea was named to honor Samoans brought to Tonga by Estate Noble Chief Lord Lavaka and Warlord Takai during the Battle of Bea in their resistance against Taufa‘ahau King Tupou I.

These Samoan aiga Tongan kainga families, known for their tattoo lineage, were settled in Tonga and intermarried with local Tongan kainga (Tongan families). The name “Pea” itself is a direct reference to the Samoan pe‘a, signifying the presence of Samoan-tattooed warriors who lived among the Tongans but maintained their cultural and tattooing rights.

Despite this shared history, contemporary Tongans raised overseas—particularly in Hawaii, Utah, and California—often misunderstand or overstep cultural boundaries in their efforts to reclaim identity through Polynesian tattoo.

Many of these Overseas American Tongans promote the practice of a "Tongan tatatau ceremony" based on the Samoan tatau ritual without understanding that such ceremonies require sacred authorization, birthright, and chiefly lineage to be practiced.

These American Tongans had never lived in Tonga to learn the traditions, customs and history of Tonga in Tonga.

ORIGIN OF POLYNESIAN TATTOO FROM FIJI GIFTED TO SAMOA

In contrast, Fijians, despite their role in the origin of Polynesian tattooing—such as the Fijian veiqia tattooing tradition and the legend of tattooed Samoan twins Siamese twins from Fiji—Fijians do not perform the Samoan tatau ritual, out of respect for the sacred boundaries of Fijian - Samoan cultural authority.

Just like in Fiji, the practice of tatau in Tonga must be understood through historical accuracy and cultural protocol, not through personal interpretation or diaspora-based reinvention.

Unfortunately, these misunderstandings have caused repeated online uproars and cultural clashes between Tongans and Samoans—especially surrounding the rightful custodianship of tatau.

The sacred Samoan tatau ceremony belongs to Samoan tufuga tatau and their lineages, and while Tongans may receive it respectfully, it is not our place to recreate, rename, or reinterpret their sacred rituals. True respect lies in knowing where our identities meet, and where they must respectfully stand apart.

The Sacred Lineage of Our Traditions

In ancient Tonga, the art of tatatau was practiced before the ban of 1839, enacted under TaufaaHau King Tupou I. Our Tongan tattooing traditions are not the same as the Samoan tattoo pe’a or malu, although they share historical connections. It is believed and taught by elders in Tonga that Samoan tufuga tatau in Tonga helped revive our tatatau traditions—but never were Tongans allowed to practice the Samoan ritual themselves unless by Samoan Tongan appointed by an Estate Noble Chief of Lords or the King of Tonga.

In the United States of America, Australia and New Zealand today, some Tongans living overseas believe that marrying a Samoan or growing up with Samoans and receiving a Samoan tatau gives them the right to practice or rename this tatau gift from a Samoan tufuga tattoo master as a “Tongan malu” or a “Tongan pe’a.” https://www.samoaobserver.ws/category/samoa/111952

This is not only culturally inaccurate, but this act disrespects the sacred ancestral lineage of the Samoan tufuga and dishonors the chiefly systems of both Tonga and Samoa.

Two Paths of Leadership: Bloodline Inheritance vs. Community Appointment in Tongan and Samoan Chiefly Systems

The Tongan Chiefly system, known as the Ha‘a Houeiki, and the Samoan Chiefly system, lead by the Paramount Chiefs of Samoa known as the Ali‘i Matai, represent two distinct frameworks of ancient Polynesian leadership still practice today—each rooted in their own ancestral customs, protocols, and societal values.

In Samoa, a Paramount Chief ( Ali‘i Matai ) can appoint branches of Matai titles to individuals under his command. These Samoan Chief Matai title holders can appoint their own Tulafale an orator who pass on the message of the Matai to the people. The Samoan Matai Chief can appoint and install a Samoan Matai Chief title on a Samoans including Samoans living overseas who have brought honor or recognition to the

" Samoa" name—such as celebrities like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, rugby legends like Inga Tuigamala https://youtu.be/0IzfYskXAUI?si=JO-My63_QX4TjSfKand Keven Mealamu, or boxer David Tua.

https://www.samoaobserver.ws/category/samoa/113221

These titles reflect service to the Samoan identity and the Faa-Samoa (Samoan way of life) even if the individual resides abroad. There are Tongan artist who had received a Samoan Matai Title from the Samoan Matai in Samoa and they live overseas but they cannot receive a Chiefly titile in Tonga.

By contrast, Tongan Chiefly system, titles are inherited strictly through bloodlines within the Ha‘a Houeiki: Estate Noble Chiefs of Lords and cannot be gifted or appointed based on popularity or public stature. A Tongan Estate Noble Chief must reside in Tonga, actively serve the people, attend royal and community obligations, and uphold the cultural responsibilities passed down through the noble estates. A Tongan Noble Chief of Lord appoints his own Matapule; Attending Talking Chief. This fundamental difference highlights the strict hereditary structure of the Tongan system, versus the flexible, merit-based appointments often practiced within the Samoan Matai system.

Tradition Is Not a Trend

There is a growing trend in places like Utah and Hawaii where new Tongan tattoo artists are performing traditional tatau rituals and calling them Tongan ceremonies. This creates conflict and confusion—not just among our Tongan and Samoan people, but in the larger global Polynesian tattoo community.

These actions violate the pukepuke fonua langafonua tauhi fonua—the traditional values and cultural foundation of Tonga and does not follow and honor the Tonga Coat of Arm’s mission “Koe Otua mo Tonga Ko Hoku Tofia”, Samoan Tatau is not part of Tonga’s Tofia (Inheritance).

The Tongan Royal Family, the 33 Estate Noble Chiefs of Lords, and the seven clans of the Ha’a Havea are the custodians of our Tongan traditions, code of honors and cultural values.

Any Tongan cultural revival or cultural fusion must be approved through formal channels, not claimed by Tongan individuals with personal sentiment or overseas identity politics.

“Born into Honor: A Life of Service Beyond Titles.

I was never taught to claim a chiefly title or live as if I were above anyone. I was taught to serve—to uphold the dignity of my people through action, not status.

As a descendant of the Lavulo Clan, I carry a name that is already steeped in honor and tradition—a name that stands without the need for additional titles.

In Tongan custom, those born into certain chiefly or noble lineages, like the Lavulo and Cockers do not hold or accept Matapule (Attending Chief) titles, as the name itself holds mana—cultural authority, dignity, and ancestral responsibility.

I cannot and will not accept any other "Chiefly or Honorable" title, whether from any clans in Tonga, Samoa, or Fiji, because my ancestral blood already speaks for itself.

My paternal grandmother, though of noble descent of the Estate Noble Chief Tui Lakepa of Ofu Island Vavau Group, https://youtu.be/bVrzirWCPBQ?si=IqVIOXIC6BfFduae she could not be installed as a chief due to her gender as a woman under Tongan traditional law, and therefore she must married an outsider a "palangi-lo’i"—a biracial Tongan-British man from the respected Cocker family of Tonga, who served as British Consulate of Tonga under Taufaahau King Tupou I.

https://malotonga.com/1HohokoCockersofTonga.html

On both sides of my lineage, I inherit names and legacies that are deeply embedded in the Tonga cultural, artistic, and historical foundations of the Tongan people.