Omoo Chapter Chapters 7-8

In which the mariners, skirting the verdant islets and gathering a crew of islanders of varied temper and complexion, encounter a white renegade of fearsome visage who holds sway as war-leader among the native tribes. And in the interval of their passage, the lore of tattooing—the intricate rites and high regard for this painful art—unfolds through the renegade’s narrative, revealing a society where bodily marks speak of rank and fashion with a solemn and enduring gravity.