Qualified authorities, region by region.

Joshawa Elsas

Regional Authority · Founding Educational Contributor

Polynesian tattoo artist, author, cultural designer, Navy veteran, and founder of IslandTAT in San Diego. More than 25 years of tattooing experience.

San Diego, California, USA

Keone Nunes

Practitioner Authority · Kākau uhi

Master practitioner and founder of the Pāuhi tattooing school in Wai‘anae; learned traditional tapping techniques from the late Sāmoan master Su‘a Sulu‘ape Paulo. The dossier identifies him as essential for validating contemporary Hawaiian protocols and tapping methodologies.

Kamali‘i Hanohano

Practitioner Authority · Continuity of kākau uhi

Apprentice to Keone Nunes; represents, per the dossier, the continuity and future of kākau uhi practice in Hawaiʻi.

Halena Kapuni-Reynolds

Academic / Curatorial Advisor

Associate Curator of Native Hawaiian History and Culture (NMAI); recommended for guiding historical contextualization of the Hawaiian module.

Malia Van Heukelem

Archival Advisor · UHM Library

Art Archivist Librarian at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa; recommended for navigating visual archives and historical prints related to kākau uhi.

Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum

Institutional Archive · Material culture

Premier repository for Hawaiian material culture; the dossier recommends seeking integration for records of mōlī and historical prints.

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Institutional Partner · Linguistic and academic

Source for linguistic validation, theses, and the Hawaiian Language Program; recommended as an institutional partner for the Hawaiian module.

Dr. Ngahuia Te Awekotuku

Academic Reviewer · Tā moko historiography

Academic and cultural expert recommended by the dossier for peer review of historical chronologies, theoretical frameworks of identity, and ethical guidelines around tā moko.

Dr. Stephen Pritchard

Academic Reviewer · Theoretical framework

Academic recommended by the dossier for peer review of theoretical frameworks of identity and ethical guidelines around tā moko.

Gordon Toi

Practitioner Contributor · Renowned tā moko practitioner

Renowned tā moko practitioner recommended by the dossier for verification of tool terminology (uhi, tā), contemporary technical adaptations, and the tā moko / kirituhi distinction.

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

Institutional Archive · Primary source imagery

National museum recommended for provision of verified primary source imagery (tools, vessels) and historical metadata for Aotearoa and Tonga modules.

Te Puia (NZ Māori Arts and Crafts Institute)

Institutional Archive · Māori arts and crafts

Institutional archive recommended by the dossier for provision of verified primary source material relating to tā moko and related arts.

Sa Su‘a and Sa Tulou‘ena Clans

Hereditary Custodians · Primary Authority

Hereditary custodians of Sāmoan tatau knowledge; named holders in the dossier include Su‘a Lesa Moli Tusi‘ofo and Tulou‘ena Peni Fa‘amausili.

Sean Mallon and Sébastien Galliot

Academic Reviewers · Historical Chronology

Co-authors of the definitive historical text on Sāmoan tatau; a museum curator and an ethnologist recommended by the dossier as academic advisors.

Tupe Lualua

Cultural Reviewer · Contemporary Practice

Contemporary practitioner, dancer, and educator; provides first-person reflections on the malu (per dossier).

Lagi Malofie Society

Practitioner Society · Technical Advisors

Sāmoan customary tattooing operators' organization; convenes contemporary practitioners on health, safety, and revival documentation.

Terje Koloamatangi

Tufunga Tātatau · Tā Vaka revival

Tufunga tātatau focused on the revival of tātatau faka-Tonga; author of foundational texts on fonua and tattooing. Named by the dossier as a candidate for the platform's editorial board.

Thies Amelia Moran-Vaihu

Legal / Cultural Researcher

Legal and cultural researcher focusing on the aftermath of the Tongan cultural apocalypse and decolonial futures for tatatau.

National Library of New Zealand

Institutional Archive · Tongan records

Holds records, academic publications, and historical accounts related to Tongan culture; recommended by the dossier as an institutional partner for the Tongan module.

Tahiarii Yoram Pariente

Cultural Advisor · Spiritual contextualization

Cultural advisor highlighted in popular media in connection with Tahitian tatau; the dossier recommends formal outreach to confirm his role as a reviewer for spiritual contextualization.

Tricia Allen

Academic Reviewer · Secondary literature

Author of credible secondary academic literature on Polynesian tattoo traditions cited by the dossier's evidence-confidence rubric. Records that rely on her work are held at 'Medium (Provisional)' confidence pending direct review by contemporary ma‘ohi cultural advisors.

Su‘a Sulu‘ape Alaiva‘a Petelo

Cross-Regional Advisor · Sāmoan master, Pacific continuity

Traditional Sāmoan master tattooist whose lineage (with the late Su‘a Sulu‘ape Paulo II) is central to the modern revival of tatau in Tonga and beyond. Named by the dossier as a cross-regional advisor providing comparative context on unbroken Polynesian tapu protocols.

Pitt Rivers Museum

Institutional Archive · Body Arts collection

Oxford museum holding historical Polynesian tattooing tools (including au / uhi combs) in its Body Arts collection; the dossier recommends the museum as an institutional partner across the Marquesan, Tongan, Tahitian, and Sāmoan modules.

Academia de la Lengua Rapa Nui

Linguistic Authority · Orthographic review

Rapa Nui language academy identified by the dossier as the linguistic authority for orthographic review of Rapa Nui tattoo terminology (Ta Kona / Takona, uhi, kie‘a, and anatomical zones such as retu, humu, kona).

MAPSE Museo Rapa Nui

Institutional Archive · Rapa Nui heritage

Rapa Nui heritage museum named by the dossier as an institutional reviewer for designs historically linked to specific lineages or clans, and for provenance of pre-1862 material.