Tattoo is a loanword from the Samoan word "tatau", meaning "to strike". The "Oxford English Dictionary" gives the etymology of tattoo as "In 18th c. tattaow, tattow. From Polynesian (Samoan, Tahitian, Tongan, etc.) tatau. In Marquesan, tatu." Before the importation of the Polynesian word, the practice of tattooing had been described in the West as painting, scarring or staining. The etymology of the body modification term is not to be confused with the origins of the word for the military drumbeat or performance — see "military tattoo". In this case, the English word "tattoo" is derived from the Dutch word "taptoe".
Samoan proverbs Samoan proverbs Samoan proverbs form an important part of the traditions and culture of Samoa where oratory, poetry, metaphors and subtelty in language art forms are held in high esteem as a form of communication in ceremony and ritual of fa'a Samoa. The importance of oratory is reflected in Samoa's indigenous chiefly system, fa'a Matai, where titleholders are either "ali'i" or "orator" ("tulafale") status. These Samoan proverbs are taken from the first Samoan dictionary, "A grammar and dictionary of the Samoan language, with English and Samoan vocabulary," first published in 1862. The proverbs were collected and authored by Rev George