"Moana Fa‘amalū" ORIGINAL

“Moana Fa‘amalu” is a 16x20 original acrylic painting by Samoan artist Tanya Masaniai. A bold tribute to the ocean as protector, covering space, and sacred feminine force in Polynesian identity and tatau.

Moana Fa‘amalu is a 16" x 20" original acrylic painting on canvas board by Samoan artist Tanya Masaniai. This striking piece honors the ocean as both a sanctuary and a shield—fa‘amalu, meaning to cover, to shelter, or to protect.

In Samoan culture, fa‘amalu also refers to a specific form of ceremonial male tatau that symbolizes protection, honor, and service. By pairing this concept with moana (the ocean), the piece evokes a deep conversation between physical space and spiritual safety. It suggests that the ocean itself is a kind of tattoo, an ancient pattern etched into the landscape that holds memory, power, and identity.

The central figure in this piece stands as both a vessel and a guardian, surrounded by oceanic tones and ancestral motifs. She is cloaked not only by the sea, but by lineage, prayer, and purpose.

This artwork is a meditation on sacred protection, the kind that wraps around a people, a lineage, a body, or a calling. For Pacific Islander communities, the ocean has always been more than water. It is both journey and refuge, healer and historian.

🎨 Medium & Materials:

• Original, one-of-a-kind artwork

• Acrylic on archival-quality canvas board

• Size: 16" x 20" (unframed)

• Varnished to preserve texture and color depth

• Signed by the artist

🔹 Key Themes:

• Ocean as protector and sacred space

• Fa‘amalu: traditional tattoo symbolism and cultural identity

• Indigenous feminine strength

• Samoan cosmology and spiritual symbolism

• Polynesian connection to the sea

🔹 Perfect For:

• Art collectors drawn to Indigenous Pacific narratives

• Lovers of ocean-themed spiritual artwork

• Cultural centers or sacred spaces

• Gifts that honor protection, identity, or feminine resilience