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".
Tahitian ukulele these instruments are referred to as Tahitian banjos. The strings are usually made from light-gauge fishing line, usually green in colour (usually around 20 lb). The instrument seems to be a relatively recent invention, popular in eastern Polynesia, particularly French Polynesia. The instrument is also used in the Marquesas Islands for pan-Pacific and Tahitian-based music, and in the Cook Islands, where it became popular after its 1995 use in a music video by Tahitian band . Tahitian ukulele The Tahitian ukulele (ukarere or Tahitian banjo) is a short-necked fretted lute with eight nylon strings in four doubled courses, native to