Malu

[1] The malu covers the legs from just below the knee to the upper thighs just below the buttocks, and is typically finer and delicate in design compared to the Pe'a, the equivalent tattoo for males.

According to Samoan scholar Albert Wendt and tattooist Su'a Suluape Paulo II, in tattooing, the term 'malu' refers to notions of sheltering and protection.

[4] In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, only the district Paramount Chief's daughter was eligible to wear the malu, which was applied to these young women in the years following puberty.

"[5] Ceremonial roles are still important in Samoan society and are restricted in similar ways to particular people with the correct qualifications and cultural knowledge, but the significance of the malu has shifted.

As Samoan tattooists have travelled and worked in the United States and Europe, women from other ethnic backgrounds and nationalities have been tattooed with the malu or elements of it.