This feminine tattoo for the backbone was designed for Carolena and it tells her story blending together Adinkra and Polynesian elements.

It was also designed with 6 wider parts, plus one dot on top, to recall the seven chakras, and for this reason the elements are laid out in an order that makes sense with the symbolism of every chakra.

From the bottom: fleur de lis, purity, and then waves and shark teeth for changes and adaptability, followed by Asaase ye duru, "Earth has weight", with a net around it to remind us that earth gives us prosperity and we have to take care of it.
Te ara poutama represents the path to knowledge, which is never straight.

Akoko Nan is protected by tiki hands and surrounded by the sun and the moon, the union of opposites into a whole.
Next to it we placed two koru to represent Carolena's children, with a Marquesan cross between them as a symbol of harmony and balance, and protected by the tiki and by tiki hands.

Abode Santann, the creation, has two chasing birds next to it to symbolize her support always granted to them wherever they may be in the world.

The star symbolizes direction, the goal to be reached with strength and determination (spearheads and Dwennimmen), to bring a new life (the koru) that is in harmony with nature and spirits (the lōkahi symbol).

On top, ancestors (fa'avaetuli) and god (the etua) show her the direction, and the seashell symbolizes love.

Shark teeth symbolize strength and adaptability while the lizard is capable of seeing the unseen to help us reach to the dot, the Source, through stability (the mountains).

The tropic bird symbolizes voyage and also authority, while the fa'atuli is a symbol for voyage and divine connection.

The colored image below shows the individual elements within the tattoo: