Cultural Motif & Mana Glossary

Hawaiian

Represents strength, protection, and courage — the shark as aumakua (family guardian).

Tahitian

Represents people, life, community, and ancestors — the human figure in motif form.

Pan-Polynesian

Moving forward, strength.

Marquesan

A symbol of the universe, protection, and spiritual passage.

Hawaiian

The Hawaiian turtle — an aumakua, or sacred family guardian.

Hawaiian

Life's ups and downs, the never-ending flow, and our bond with the ocean.

Hawaiian

The woven mat — the strength and bond of a family coming together.

Tahitian

The all-seeing ancestors — guidance, protection, and mana.

Pan-Polynesian

A shared Polynesian symbol of navigation, guidance, and freedom.

Pan-Polynesian

Two birds back to back — love, guidance, and leadership.

Marquesan

Powerful creatures that bring good luck and act as guardians.

Marquesan

God or a revered ancestor — divine guardianship and spiritual strength.

Marquesan

The Marquesan compass — navigation, guidance, and intelligence.

Māori

Transformation and new beginnings.

Marquesan

Eyes and watchful protection — security and guardianship through a watchful gaze.

Micronesian

Ancestral guidance and protection at sea.

Hawaiian

The protective scales of the fish.

Samoan

Abundance, prosperity, and blessings from the sea.

Filipino

Strength, resilience, and warrior spirit.

Marquesan

A powerful troop — collective strength and the courage to protect family.

Micronesian

Foundation, strength, ancestral support, stability, and legacy.

Micronesian

Strength, protection, and power — respect for the ocean.

Samoan

The tattoo comb — the sacred, painful process of receiving the pe'a.

Marquesan

Authority, rank, and social status.

Marquesan

Bountiful harvest, abundance, and the end of a shortage — also associated with navigation.

Filipino

Ancestral guidance and the connection of travel by sea and stars.

Filipino

Travel, guidance, and protection.

Marquesan

A light that keeps death at bay.

Marquesan

Being ready to listen and understand.

Samoan

'Like a caterpillar' — movement, transition, and growth.

Tongan

The beams of the chief's house — hierarchy, structure, and stability.

Filipino

Growth, prosperity, and abundance.

Fijian

Hospitality and celebration, from the Fijian masi.

Marquesan

The container of the universe — power, origin, and creation.

Filipino

The connection between heaven and earth — also recognized as prayer.

Māori

To bend to and fro — self-reflection, nurturing, and flourishing.

Marquesan

Balance of life.

Samoan

Prosperity and community — the shared work of casting the net.

Pan-Polynesian

Family and lineage — one leaf growing into the next.

Marquesan

Fertility, from the legend of Kae.

Samoan

Spiritual messengers and guidance toward land and food.

Filipino

Abundance, fertility, and family — the harvest that brings people together.

Marquesan

The journey and travels of life under clear skies.

Filipino

Ancestral protection and guidance — the whispers of ancestors.

Marquesan

The promises of life — someone who wants to develop and evolve.

Marquesan

Life and power — light comes after dark.

Filipino

The teeth of aggressive creatures — protection, defense, and ferocity.

Tongan

A chiefly kupesi from Vava'u — status and the act of serving.

Filipino

The movement of life and the flow of energy.

Marquesan

A male warrior or a chief.

Marquesan

A woman's capacity to give life — birth, creation, union, and beauty.

Māori

The fish hook — prosperity, abundance, and safe passage over water.

Māori

A powerful ancestral guardian — a supernatural protector of people, places, and waterways.

Māori

The spiritual messenger — a guardian figure that carries mana between worlds.

Hawaiian

Sacred plant of Hawaiian genealogy — family roots, sustenance, and ancestral connection.

Pan-Polynesian

Pua — flowers as an expression of beauty, aloha, and the fullness of life.