About: Veiqia

Veiqia, or Weniqia, is a female tattooing practice from Fiji. Young women received veiqia at puberty, often as part of a lengthy process. The tattoos were applied by older specialist women known as daubati. Natural materials were used for the inks and to make the tools, some of which were reserved for use on high status women. The practice was prohibited under British colonial rule in the nineteenth century, but has undergone revival in the twenty-first century, led by the work of The Veiqia Project. Whilst there is an important archive of veiqia research at the Fiji Museum, western museum collections hold more artefacts relating to the practice.