King ‘Afa is proud to have been tattooing Polynesian art for over a decade. His technique and experiences stems from his place of birth, historical knowledge, and ability to take your idea for a tattoo and making it into a Polynesian master piece.
He grew up in Tonga and was taught about the art and history of his culture by his grandmother. Realizing that the art of Tongan tattooing was near extinction, he and his brother, Carl, began to revitalize the art form. They taught themselves how to tattoo by tattooing each other. His love for all Polynesian culture and design is what inspires his work.
King ‘Afa primarily sees clients on the West Coast, Hawai’i, and on occasional visits to New Zealand. King ‘Afa has a wide range of clientele ranging from citizens of the Polynesia, New Zealand, Australia and the United States. People from around the world come to Polynesian Tribal Tattoo for King ‘Afa’s creativity, uniqueness, customization and willingness to think outside of the box in creating tattoos for his clients. King ‘Afa’s philosophy is simple; he will not do a tattoo unless it has meaning for the client. He doesn’t copy tattoo’s or use templates. Each and every tattoo King ‘Afa does is unique and customized to the person who is getting it. It’s an art that was created to show identity, ranking or status. There are people today that are tattooing Polynesian art without knowing what it is simply because it looks good, and it’s the artist’s obligation to educate them. It’s important for tattooists and their clients to learn the designs and their history.