This Polynesian sleeve tattoo for the lower leg was designed for Joel and it is part of a couple of similar tattoos that we designed for him and his son.

Both sleeves share the same structure and most of the elements, with a different part related to the character and story of each individual.

The common part relates to their bond and common traits: family is central, represented at the base of the tattoo (the turtle which includes flax leaves as a symbol of family union).

The central motif, kuhanu, represents creation, and it reaches on top to the Marquesan cross for harmony to symbolize their shared passion for music.
On the sides of it, the elements shape two mere, which are chiefly symbols that represent honor and respect, important values for both of them.

On the left, father and son are represented within braids showing their bond through any change (the waves), while personal traits are on the right.

The tiki on the back of the calf/inside of forearm is to bring protection and the spearheads represent the warrior. The path to knowledge and the facing tiki hands symbolize how you handed your knowledge to him (there are stepping stones at the base too, for lessons learnt and achieved).

For Joel, a frigate bird (with tiki eyes for protection) represents a guide, a leader, passing his knowledge onto other people, giving them strength (spearheads) and turning them into leaders (the frigate bird in front of each of them symbolizes their new perspective and role as guides, differentiating them from the other birds that all go in the other direction, toward them), while the stepping stones all around them represent the lessons learnt.

The colored image below shows the main elements within the tattoo: