Tonga

Dutch visitors to Tonga in the seventeenth century describe men with extensive tattoos stretching from the waist towards the thighs. These so-called trouser tattoos are associated in early accounts with protection in battle, as well as status and identity. Women are described with smaller decorative patterns, including on their arms.

James Cook first visits in 1773 and gives the group the name Friendly Islands. The name captures the hospitality shown to his expedition, but later accounts add an ironic twist: during a subsequent visit, some chiefs reportedly discuss killing him before abandoning the plan. Hospitality and political tension exist side by side.