King ‘Afa is a Pacific Island tattoo artist from Tonga, cultural history, creative director, and art collector, art archivist whose work stands at the intersection of ancient Indigenous knowledge and modern fine art. Raised and trained between South Pacific tropical islands of Tonga and Fiji, he carries a lineage deeply rooted in Pacific Island traditions, navigation history, and ancestral storytelling. His mission is to protect, refine, and elevate the traditional tattoo systems of the Pacific—Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia—and to reintroduce them to the world with cultural precision, artistic integrity, and historical truth.
For more than twenty years, King ‘Afa has worked across the United States—from Bay Area California and Utah to Austin Houston Dallas/Fort Worth Texas ,Chicago, South Beach Miami Tampa Sarasota/Bradenton Florida and the East Coast—bringing Pacific Island tattoo into the global fine-art conversation. He is recognized as the first Tongan tattoo artist and Pacific Island Polynesian Tattoo artist in the United States to receive an official tattoo paycheck at rate of USD$200/hr from a professional tattoo studio Zulu Tattoo in 2006 owned by African American Florida Keys Roni Zulu and his Texan wife Khani, and as a pioneer who helped transition Polynesian and Tongan tattooing from its early 2000s “garage-sale market” into a respected, premium valued art form.
Today, he is one of the leading cultural tattoo artists in the world, specializing in authentic tribal tattoo systems from over 100 Indigenous and ancient civilizations. His work draws from verified academic sources: museum archives, anthropological research, historical field notes, expedition journals, and his own extensive private library.
He does not use Pinterest, Google images, Procreate templates, or AI-generated designs. Every tattoo is a culturally grounded, historically accurate collaboration rooted in thousands of years of ancestral knowledge.
AREAS OF CULTURAL SPECIALIZATION
POLYNESIAN TATTOOS : Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, Rotuma, Tahiti, Marquesas, Aotearoa Māori, Hawai‘i, Niue, Tokelau, Cook Islands, Tuvalu, Easter Islands Rapa Nui and more.
MICRONESIA: Chamorro (Guam, CNMI Saipan, Rota ), Palau, Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, Nauru and Kiribati Islands others.
MELANESIA: Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia (Kanak), Torres Strait, Australian Aboriginal.
CARIBBEAN INDIGENOUS: Taíno Puerto Rico, Cuban, Haiti Jamaica,, Arawak, Garifuna, Afro-Caribbean symbolism.
AFRICA: Adinkra (Ghana), Yoruba, Maasai, Zulu, San, Dogon, Berber, Nubian, Kongo, Ethiopian Omo Valley, Ancient Egyptian.
ASIA: Japanese and Korean , Iban, Dayak Borneo, Filipino Visayan, Kalinga, Mentawai, Thai, Khmer, Tibetan, Persian, South Asian traditional art.
Meso-AMERICAS: Maya, Olmec, Aztec, Inca, Amazonian tribes, Native North American symbolic systems.
EUROPE: Celtic, Norse Vikings, Slavic, Greek, Iberian pre-Roman symbolism.
This global understanding allows him to create deeply personalized tattoo art for clients from every cultural background, while honoring the sacred protocols of each tradition.
West Los Angeles & San Jose Bay Area + Traveling & Private Appointments Upon Request
I’m based in Los Angeles, California at
Lakimii Tattoo Studio: Instagram @lakimiitattoo
883 Westbourne Dr, West Hollywood, CA 90069
https://www.lakimiitattoo.com/
Unlimited Ink Tattoo
Coral Instagram @cocolynn_
4213 Barrymore Dr, San Jose, CA 95117
Today, he is one of the leading cultural tattoo artists in the world, specializing in authentic tribal tattoo systems from over 100 Indigenous and ancient civilizations. His work draws from verified academic sources: museum archives, anthropological research, historical field notes, expedition journals, and his own extensive private library.
He does not use Pinterest, Google images, Procreate templates, or AI-generated designs. Every tattoo is a culturally grounded, historically accurate collaboration rooted in thousands of years of ancestral knowledge.
This global understanding allows him to create deeply personalized tattoo art for clients from every cultural background, while honoring the sacred protocols of each tradition.
