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Experience Living Tatau: Sulu’ape RiccyBoy at Tattoolicious
For the first time in modern history, the art of traditional Polynesian tatau (tattooing by hand tap) will be demonstrated weekly in Waikīkī. Every Friday at Tattoolicious, Sulu‘ape RiccyBoy a master in the art of Samoan and Polynesian traditional tattoo will share this living tradition through live hand-tap tattoo sessions open for respectful public viewing. While traditional hand tap has been brought back and practiced in Hawai‘i since the early 1990s—and wonderfully showcased at the Hawai‘i Pacific Ink & Art Tattoo Expo—this marks the first time that locals and visitors can regularly experience and learn from the process in an intimate, educational setting within the heart of Waikīkī. This is a rare opportunity to sit in, watch, learn, and respectfully ask questions about the culture and history behind the tatau.
The ritual of tatau is not simply decoration — it’s a living expression of identity, heritage, and connection. Polynesian societies have long shared their tattoo traditions across voyaging routes, inter-island marriages, and cultural exchange, so that tatau practices in Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Hawaiʻi, Tahiti, and beyond reflect both local particularities and a broader Polynesian ethos of unity, respect, and mana (spiritual power). Through this weekly gathering, Tattoolicious honors that tradition of sharing with humility and care.
About Sulu’ape RiccyBoy
Sulu’ape RiccyBoy is a respected practitioner and custodian of Samoan tatau,
known from the original Polynesian Tattoo Factory in Kaneohe, Hawaiʻi. He brings deep personal devotion to preserving and the craft in its traditional form — the hand-tap.
Sulu‘ape RiccyBoy’s journey as a tatau artist is deeply rooted in the sacred lineage
of the Sulu‘ape family and the enduring tradition of tufuga ta tatau — the master tattooists of Samoa. He completed a nine-year apprenticeship under the guidance of
Grand Master Su‘a Sulu‘ape Petelo Alaiva‘a, who entrusted him with the knowledge, discipline, and spiritual responsibilities of the craft. In Samoan custom, a tufuga is far more than a skilled artisan; he is a cultural guardian — one who carries the duty to protect the integrity, meaning, and spiritual essence of tatau, ensuring its transmission to future generations with respect and authenticity.
While his work is rooted in the Samoan tradition, Sulu'ape RiccyBoy is also committed to cross-cultural education, welcoming observers from all backgrounds to better understand tatau’s deeper significance. His presence at Tattoolicious embodies both the continuity of tradition and an open invitation to respectful curiosity.
Honoring the Lineage & Hawaiian Connections
We pay deep respect to Su’a Sulu’ape Alaiva’a Petelo, grand master of the Sulu’ape lineage, who holds the title of tufuga ta tatau and is considered the custodian of the family’s traditional tools, protocols, and teachings. It is through his stewardship that the Sulu’ape family’s methods and authority have been preserved and passed to the next generation.
In Hawaiʻi, practitioners like Sulu’ape Keone Nunes have also played a crucial role in revitalizing and blessing the resurgence of traditional hand-tapped tattooing. He has been insutrumental in education and bringing the respect back to tradition in Hawaii. In 2016,
Sulu'ape Keone Nunes conducted the official blessing ceremony for the renovation of Tattoolicious — an auspicious act symbolizing respect to both ancestral tradition and local Hawaiian culture. His work in Hawaiʻi bridges the Hawaiian kākau uhi lines and the broader Polynesian tatau tradition.
By establishing a weekly demonstration, Tattoolicious is creating a living bridge between Samoa, Hawaiʻi, and the wider Pacific — inviting community, cultural continuity, and respectful learning.
What to Expect During the Friday Demonstrations
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Demonstrations begin at noon (please check the weekly schedule) and last for the duration of a normal sit-in session.
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Observers are invited to sit quietly, watch the process, and at the appropriate time, ask questions about the tools, technique, and cultural protocols of tatau.
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Participants are held to cultural norms of respect and decency. Photography or recording may be allowed, but only with permission and in coordination with the artist and staff.
• The focus is educational, cultural, and communal: to witness living tradition.
Book a Sitting With Sulu'ape RiccyBoy (Hand Tap Design)
If you’d like to receive a traditional tatau from Sulu'ape RiccyBoy on a day other than Friday (or even during a future Friday session, space permitting), you may request a private consultation or sitting via our consultation booking link
During your consultation, you can discuss:
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The symbolism, meaning, and motifs appropriate to your heritage or intentions
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Placement, size, and design concepts that respect cultural protocol
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The timeline, pain, and care involved in a hand-tap (traditional) tattoo
Because the process is physically demanding, deeply symbolic, and culturally significant, each sitting is approached with intentionality and mindfulness.
Invitation & Aloha
We invite you to join us in reverent curiosity. Let the tapping of wood on skin, the quiet rhythm, the tradition unfolding before you be a bridge into greater understanding. Whether you are local or visitor, whether you come to observe or to receive, you become part of a living story of Polynesian culture, revival, and respectful exchange.
Mahalo nui loa to the masters before us — Su’a Sulu’ape Alaiva’a Petelo, the lineage of tufuga ta tatau, and Hawaiian practitioners like Keone Nunes — for their faith, care, and willingness to share. May this weekly gathering at Tattoolicious deepen connection, inspire respect, and awaken hearts to the meaning in ink, touch, and tradition.
