In the oral history around the origins of tatau in Samoa
it comes from women.
But it's been a very male-dominated practice.
I don't like to say I'm the only woman or I'm the first woman, but as far as I know,
there's not any other women of Samoan heritage working with 'au at the moment.
With the migration of Samoan people, wherever our people go, that's where tatau goes as well.
I think it just really highlights the importance and the significance
of keeping the practice of tatau alive within central Auckland.
Talofa lava, welcome to my home.
These are all the photos of my children and family inside my home.
The photo above is of my late husband.
Jesus's photo is the most important
and holy Mother Mary.
So you know how there's only five keys? - Yeah.
- Where's the other four?
My full name is Anasetasia Falesiu Leteleaiteima Tele.
I'm the youngest of nine kids.
My parents, they came from Samoa in the late-sixties.
They moved around here in Auckland but came to Grey Lynn.
This is my sister Maria, my other sister Matalena,
my nephew Miguel and this infamous graffiti photo.
This was actually me and my sister's room
but then, had to convert it to a living room.
We've been in this house for many, many years
and it has the imprint of my parents and all of us kids as well as our kids.
The house was built out of manual labour.
There was no diggers, there was no technology.
It was my father showing us how it was done back in Samoa.
We got to know Tyla through my older sister, Maria.
Maria got her tatau a couple of years back.
So that's why she wanted to go back to Tyla, to finish off her other hand
and brought us, myself and Celia along.
I see her as like a leader for our Samoan community.
She's sort of paving the way towards our culture,
making everyone aware of our culture as well.
I painted this wall when I was 19.
Early, early 2000s.
So that was after our parents had bought the house and they had added the extension on
and then this room became my room and I was able to customise it how I wanted.
Growing up in central Auckland in the '90s, it was still a very Pacific place,
which for me was really enriching for my own cultural identity and knowledge and understanding.
We are second generation New Zealand born Samoan through our dad's side.
We weren't raised with a lot of Fa'a Samoa.
So that was something that I really got from my peer groups.
It was in high school. I was at Western Springs,
that I started to be asked by friends and family to design tatau for them.
For me, it became really important to understand the meanings behind the patterns
because I had friends that were Niuean or Tongan.
They wanted designs specific to their islands.
They weren't just designs.
I started to learn more widely about tatau history and Pasifika art practice
and the ways that all of those things interconnect.
So our parents actually added this extension on and what we have done, my brother and I, is to separate
create separate spaces within the extension.
So we have the studio space separate to our living space.
It ended up being this kind of oddly poetic thing
because Tyla did her first tattoos in this house back when she first started
like what, 12, 13 years ago?
It's meant to be here.
I am an apprentice to Su'a Sulu'ape Alaiva'a Petelo.
He is an ongoing mentor for tatau.
It takes a village and it's such a collective input
and you're not where you are without the input of all these people.
I think it's important for us to continue the legacy of living
and working and maintaining a presence in central Auckland
because of the strong Pasifika history in this area.
Being able to give back to those communities through the work that I'm doing has been really important.
I connected with the Tele family through the galuega, through the work that I'm doing.
I will tatau one family member and then it's not unusual for the rest of the family to follow.
That was when I really got to learn more about their story in Grey Lynn.
It's been a really beautiful family connection.
When Tyla designed this one,
she actually asks you first what you want.
I've incorporated grandparents on both sides of myself and my partner and our babies.
So, two angel babies and one Earth baby, but now we've got two Earth babies.
I just wanted to have a marking just to symbolise what is most important to me.
So for the next tatau that I want to get from Tyla,
for this hand, the number three resonates with me
in regards to the relationships I have with my family and friends.
Myself, Riah and Celia. We're quite tight.
I adore that relationship with my sisters.
My friends, I only have two besties.
So again, number three.
Another one is myself and my two girls.
And the last one is myself, my girls and Mum,
which is the three generations.
Also, with Mum getting hers as well, it's sort of like girl power.
But in our family I reckon the females are quite strong.
So yeah, a bit powerful right there.
I've always wanted something on my hands because I work with my hands
and I just wanted something to represent myself, Mum and Dad, our ancestors and my family.
Honestly, at first I didn't want to get a tatau
only because I have a zero pain threshold.
But I think with my sisters and the meaning behind it.
I've never met my grandmother, which is Mum's mum and who I'm named after
and I wanted to do something that honoured my grandmother.
Not everyone was allowed to get a malu. Only the taupou and high chief's daughter.
And the unmarried ones, that was the Samoan tradition back in the day.
I heard back in the days my grandma was a taupou in Palauli, Savai'i.
That's the reason why my children and I received our tatau
because my grandma was a taupou back in the day.
To have the markings, it means just to honour the traditions of our family, of our culture.
I'm proud to be Samoan.
Do you wanna wrap this one?
And I'll do the wine glasses.
Today I'm getting my tualima done on my right hand
and I'm kind of nervous but I'm really excited.
At the moment, we're just preparing a gift for Tyla.
We like to give non-monetary gifts just to show our appreciation for their work
and their time that they've given to us.
My mum, my niece, and my sister will be coming with me today.
They will be my support crew.
Hold my hand,
wipe my tears. Nah.
I work freehand. I don't pre-design or pre-draw anything.
For me, working with the body and with the person is really important.
What's brought you to that point of wanting to receive this tatau?
Knowing the mamanu, knowing the patterns enough,
it starts to translate into a design and what that looks like.
My speaking Samoan is not great.
So with me, I wanted to get the tatau to represent my culture. Represent who I am.
Although we're not in our homelands, it's a way to show the pride of our identity
and to connect to that part of our heritage, which is really grounding and healing
I think, for a lot of people.
The goal has always been to open the space to more female practitioners and just to
bring about a sense of balance.
It's actually been really beautiful to see that other tufuga are now using
more female koso as well, in their practice. So, it is changing.
I have a team of female koso that work with me, which obviously changes the energy in the session as well.
Eventually, I hope to be at the stage where I can teach women as well.
We put our faith in Tyla because we just know she has the talent to mark us with her skills.
The way she works, she's just so focused. She's just in the zone.
I see an automatic shift in women and how they carry themselves once they receive their tualima.
It's a very public statement about connecting to your heritage
and about stepping into that role and making that commitment and being proud of who you are.
It's really an honour to be able to be part of that journey for women.
It just represents our family, our connection, our bond, it means the world to me.
When I see my mum, then you know, see my sisters,
it's like a weaving of all these different stories, of all these different lines.
It makes me happy that they are supporting what my grandma did in the days of her youth.
I guess it was fast today, but that's because we already have that connection
and we've met before, and this is a continuation of work that I've been doing for your aiga.
It's just like family coming over. Yeah.
And it's really nice to have you back in the fale and to be able to do more.
She also added another one to represent my baby that I just had.
I feel complete.