Captain James Cook’s expedition to the Pacific was initiated by the Royal Society as a scientific exploration. Apart from the main research objective, there are also naturalists in the voyage to document and collect different flora and fauna as well as the culture of the inhabitants. In the islands they visited, they have discovered the “tatau” or Polynesian tattoo designs. It is a kind of decorative art that is permanently imprinted on the body of the tribal people.
Joseph Banks documented the tattoo designs and some of the sailors decided to have it on their bodies. These sailors actually started the art of tattooing in Europe. Although there other kinds of tattoo traditions in other parts of the world, it is the Polynesian body art that prevailed in the Old world. Until today, people who would like to sport tattoos look for the body art designs of the Polynesians. Consequently, tattoo artists already have patterns of these designs that customers can choose from.