Tattoos

The primary ink used for kākau, or tattoos, uses sugarcane juice. Charcoal from charred kukui shells, or the soot of burning kukui nuts, was mixed with sugarcane juice to create the ink. For this purpose the cane 'Nānahu,' which literally means charcoal, was used. Just as wai kō was used to aid the healing of cuts and lacerations, it is likely that the kō juice helps the tattoo heal. Other plants, such as the sap of the ‘ilie‘e (Plumbago zeylanica) were used after to help the ink set and darken in the skin.