Chief Miko

This film takes the form of an investigation into the life and work of the sculptor Vaiere Mara, born in 1936 in Rurutu, in the Austral Islands (French Polynesia) and died in Arue in 2005. Mara sculpted wood, coral and stone and his production was remarkable and noticed from the 1960s. Many local personalities placed orders with the man whom some considered the first contemporary Polynesian artist. The film traces the director's journey in search of Mara's works, scattered across islands and continents, and the personal story of this exceptional artist. Combining testimonies from those close to him, reconstructions of the founding moments of his career and documentation of the works found, this film appears as an investigation that is at once human, artistic and detective... which allows us to reconstruct the context of Vaiere Mara's creation.

Everyone knows Pitore in Moorea. Pitore is a sculptor, farmer, fisherman, canoe builder, fare builder, masseur and tattooist. He also makes medicines based on medicinal plants.

This film focuses on the links between Maori tattoo artists from New Zealand (James Webster, Juliee Paama Penguely, Moko de la Terre) and those from French Polynesia (Roonui Anania, Chimé, Laurent Purotu). With interventions by specialists Sébastien Galliot and Michael Koch.

Michel Toofa Pouira Krainer, known as Chief Miko (born 3 April 1959) is a French Polynesian speaker, sculptor, traditional navigator, musician, singer, customary chief and activist. He played a major role in the Polynesian cultural revival, particularly in the revival of Polynesian tattoos. We accompany Chef Miko to choose good wood. This is an opportunity to hear the testimony of his Dusseldorf counterpart, Andreas Dettloff. Dettloff is a German visual artist living in Tahiti for around twenty years, who works on popular culture. The meeting with Chief Miko goes so well that a few days later we go to visit Dettloff at his home.

Tatak ng apat na alon tribe, is better known in English as Mark of the four wawes tribe. Made up of just over 150 members, this collective based in Los Angeles popularizes traditional Filipino tattooing around the world. At its head for more than twenty years, we find the famous artist Elle Festin and his wife, Zelle Festin.

Païwan People share a rich tattooing tradition which was closely related to cultural identity and social status before the vanishement during WWII. This contributes to give Cudjuy Patjidres the motivation of the tattoing revival. Cudjuy is actualy the only traditionnal tattooist in Taïwan. He learn his art to Bai Ai Païwan tatoo artist. Suliljaw Lusaujatj, student of the Departement of Anthropology of the College of Asia and the Pacific help him as stretcher. Suliljaw reccord also the tattooing.

Roonui Anania, Chimé and Purotu started tattooing themselves and tattooing in the street, by snatch, that means with sewing needles attached to match sticks, then electric razors. Indian ink in a beer cap and off we went. Then Tavana Salmon brought back the first pig tooth combs, which they were not able to use for long due to hygiene. Impossible to sterilize. We had to go back to the electric razor, look for solutions. This film tells the story of the rebirth of Polynesian tattooing, then its expansion, told by the three greatest masters of Polynesian tattooing.

Sampaguita Jay is one of the black and gray tattoo specialists in France. With the Mark of the Four Wawes Tribe collective, she popularized traditional Filipino tattooing, where she was originally from.