The tattoo motifs (tiki) of the Marquesas islanders were derived from their woodcarvings and consisted of combinations of geometric shapes, from simple lines, circles, squares, ovals and lozenges to concentric squares and spirals. The ovals and circles were filled with semi-ovals, diverging lines, double spirals and abstracted human faces. Many designs included stylised human figures and animals with chequered limbs. Upon completion, the tattoos covered almost every part of the body, including inside the nostrils, the palms of the hands, eyelids, tongue and the crown of the head. Only the penis and the soles of the feet were not tattooed. No two people's tattoos were alike, and the choice of designs was almost unlimited.

By the beginning of the twentieth century, traditional tattoos had all but disappeared, and men would only have their names on their arms. The most important reason for this tradition’s disappearance, besides the declining population, was the prohibition of tattooing in 1884 by the French who rigorously enforced the ban and eradicated the custom within a generation.