Can you smell what Dwayne Johnson is cooking?

A little known fact about Dwayne Johnson, also known as The Rock, is that he is of Samoan heritage.  Some even say he comes from a line of Samoan royalty.  He is grandson to the late High Chief Peter Maivia, a very well known Polynesian who is now buried inside the Diamond Head crater volcano in Hawaii.

Why am I telling you this?  As I walk down the beach, I see countless number of men and women with any and every type of tattoo; some plain, some intricate, some hideous and many that are variations of tribal tattoos; tribal tattoos that originated in the Polynesian islands centuries ago; tribal tattoos that were used to tell the story of a person’s lineage.  Now, beach goers and non-beach goers alike have those somewhat ancient designs placed in random places on their bodies just to fit in with the crowd.  They don’t care to tell any stories of their ancestors who may have been great warriors or kings, they only want body decoration.  Although these tribal designs can range from the most basic arm band around the bicep to the incredibly detailed pieces, similar to Mr. Johnson’s, many people of Polynesian descent agree that it can be an insult to their heritage to see a person who is not of their blood lines wearing a tribal tattoo.
It can be argued that what one person believes to be an insult was simply an impulsive selection from the wall of the local tattoo parlor by the wearer.  Dwayne’s tattoo, however, is not impulsive at all.  Dwayne’s tattoo is mostly of Samoan design and he has made mention that the entire tattoo holds meaning to him, with each part telling a story about him or his family or his ancestors.  The coconut leaves, for example, speak of a Samoan chief or warrior which could be about his grandfather.  One piece looks like a turtle shell which is supposed to repel evil spirits since way back in the day, warriors used large shells or parts of shells as shields in battle.  His father and grandfather were both professional wrestlers so they may be the warriors that turtle shell symbolizes.  In design, his tattoo also details his troubled youth, mentions his grandfather as being a chief, talks of his daughter, and includes other great moments in his past as well as a vision of his future.
No doubt many choose the designs of the ancient Polynesians due to their crisp lines and beautiful yet simple design, as I noted before, just to have body decoration.  Most times, them being all one solid color, they imply a somewhat peaceful feeling; even a feeling of strength and courage.  Although they can be quite intricate, due to the lack of color they tend to be less busy and painful on the eyes.  Depending on the design, one could find themselves staring at the tattoo for minutes, tracing and following the lines visually, hypnotized by the tales told by the ink, on a canvas made of skin.