On Fiji tattooing was resticted to women. Fijian girls were tattooed with designs symbolising the tasks they would perform throughout their lives and after death. A crescent at the corners of the mouth alluded to their future motherhood, for example. On some islands, these symbols indicated the number of children a woman had borne, but also disguised the wrinkles caused by aging. Designs consisting of lines and dots had to be applied to women’s fingers before they could prepare or serve meals to the king or chiefs.

The most important tattoos, however, were hidden beneath their traditional skirts, liku. Sexually significant designs were tattooed on the vulva, the buttocks, and the thighs. Girls were encouraged to undergo this incredibly painful operation from a young age, by being told that their future husbands would derive great pleasure from these tattoos. The vulva and the inner thighs are, of course, extremely sensitive. Nonetheless, the daughters of the king and chiefs were as eager as the others. In these cases, a girl from a low-ranking family was selected to undergo the procedure at the same time, as a distraction and solace. Many rituals developed around the tattooing.