These paintings honor the profound significance of ceremony in the Hawaiian culture, as the cornerstone of tradition and identity.
About this interview
Tina Ah Puck presents her two paintings in the Voice of the Ancestors exhibit. “Paʻakai” depicts a bowl of salt water — the basis of cleansing, blessing, and healing in Hawaiian ceremony since the beginning of time. Ah Puck studied lāʻau lapaʻau, Native Hawaiian healing, and describes how this single image of salt water carries the culture’s history: salt water is the ocean, and the ocean is life.
“Pō and Ao” (dark and light) portrays the traditional, sacred ceremony of Hawaiian tattoo. Married into a Hawaiian family from Maui, Ah Puck painted her own husband and daughter as models. She explains that traditional tattoo designs are chosen by an elder or kahuna, passed down within families, and carry deep meaning — honoring ancestors, voyages, accomplishments, or hopes for the family — and reflects on the responsibility of approaching the culture with respect while helping to perpetuate what deserves to be shared.
