Recently, when my three year old daughter and I were watching Moana again, she asked me “Why does Maui have tattoos?”. What a great question! While the film does provide some tiny tide pools of insight, to really understand why Maui has tattoos, we need to first understand… [ECE Theme Song] "You down with ECE? Yeah you know me!" (repeated three times) "Who's down with ECE? All the homies!" Early on in the film, there is a scene of a younger man lying on his stomach, releasing sounds of pain as a tattoo is being hammered into his back. It always seemed to me like an odd, out of place, unnecessary, visual scene. Why would the creators make sure to include it in the final version of the film? What purpose does it serve? The young man, like others in Moana’s village, supports tattoos. The presence of tattoos seems normal on Motunui. But the tattoos the villagers receive are very different from the tattoos Maui receives. Perhaps the inclusion of this odd scene was meant to specifically highlight these differences between the villagers’ and Maui’s tattoos. There are two primary differences of Maui’s tattoos that I want to discuss. First, how he receives his tattoos is drastically different from how the villagers receive theirs. Second, while the villagers’ tattoos are permanent, static artistic designs, Maui’s tattoos are a relational habitus of experiences that he enters into dyadic interactions with. So you cannot understand Maui’s tattoos by purely looking for meaning amongst the culture or traditions of human tattoos. To really understand why Maui has tattoos, we need to first understand the science behind adverse childhood experiences. Adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs, are potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood (between 0-17 years of age). For example: Experiencing violence, abuse, or neglect. Witnessing violence in the home or community. Having a family member attempt or die by suicide. Also included are aspects of the child’s environment that can undermine their sense of safety, stability, and bonding such as growing up in a household with: substance misuse, mental health problems, instability due to parental separation or household members being in jail or prison. The first thing to note about Maui’s tattoos are their origin. When you think about getting a tattoo, perhaps you envision looking through a big book of potential designs that include barbwire, unicorns, flames, etc., then the artist designs the tattoo that you want upon your skin. But this is not what happened to Maui. When Moana says, “how do you get your tattoos?” Maui responds, “they show up, when I earn them”. Sometimes he overcame obstacles and achieved great feats to earn tattoos, such as killing an eel, burying its guts which grew the first trees sprouting coconuts. But Moana’s attention is pulled to one tattoo in particular, that covers a large area across the upper middle of his back. This tattoo is less like a badge of honor, and more like a scar. It is a tattoo representing the experience of when his parents tossed him away into the ocean as a baby because they did not want him. All children have positive and negative experiences, but there are certain types of negative adverse childhood experiences, especially when multiple occur, that have the potential to have a long lasting detrimental impact on an individual. Moana put the pieces together. When asking about this specific tattoo, she questions: “is this the reason why your hook is not working?”. Moana’s assumption makes sense. Even though this tattoo represents an experience from early on in Maui’s life, adverse childhood experiences can impact one’s physical and mental life, even as an adult. If you are interested in taking the actual adverse childhood experience test, I will include a link in the description to a video that will walk you through the short ten questions. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are common. About 61% of adults surveyed across 25 states reported that they had experienced at least one type of ACE, and nearly 1 in 6 reported they had experienced four or more types of ACEs. ACEs are linked to chronic health problems, mental illness, and substance misuse in adulthood. ACEs can also negatively impact education and job opportunities. ACEs and associated conditions, such as living in under-resourced or racially segregated neighborhoods, frequently moving, and experiencing food insecurity, can cause toxic stress (extended or prolonged stress). Toxic stress from ACEs can change brain development and affect such things as attention, decision-making, learning, and response to stress. Some children are at a greater risk than others. Women and several racial/ethnic minority groups were at greater risk for having experienced 4 or more types of ACEs. Maui’s tattoos represent positive and negative experiences. The tattoo of his parents tossing him into the ocean as a baby is located across his upper back-- --it is a scarred emotional burden he continues to carry on his shoulders as an adult and impacts his psychological and physical abilities. The film uses tattoos to represent the potential permanent impact that adverse childhood experiences can have on someone. It was not chosen, it was “given” to Maui by his parents, just as many children do not choose to be raised in households of abuse, violence or addiction. These adverse experiences of abuse, violence and addiction are like Maui’s tattoos, permanent experiences, not asked for by the child and have the potential for long-term negative impact. The second thing to notice about Maui’s tattoos is that they are not simply static ink designs locked into specific locations --rather his tattoos can move as they interact with him. In his “You’re Welcome” song, there is lots of evidence of this. The ability of his tattoos to move represents a critical aspect of adverse childhood experiences. Just because a child has adverse childhood experiences, does not mean that they will experience the potential negative outcomes commonly associated with ACEs. The potential impact of adverse childhood experiences can shift depending on the protective factors a child experiences. There are many protective factors that can act as a shield. One such shielding factor that has received a lot of attention is resilience. Although many definitions are available, resilience typically describes the ability to adapt successfully to disturbances that threaten development of a positive life path or the ability to resume one following periods of adversity. So even though Maui has had many adverse childhood experiences, he also has tattoos that highlight experiences that may act as protection. Perhaps the greatest protective tattoo is the one he receives at the end of the film--a tattoo of Moana. And do you know where this Moan tattoo is located? Right over Maui’s heart. The ability of Maui’s tattoos to morph and interact with him represent the real journey children travel through as they face positive and negative experiences throughout their life. Simply because a child has adverse experiences does not summon them to the long list of potential negative consequences. While we of course want to prevent adverse experiences from occurring in the first place, we can also recognize and implement protective shields in the lives of children. Other preventive/shielding factors include: Strengthening economic support to families. Promoting social norms that protect against violence and adversity. Ensuring a strong start for children in the home and in high quality care and education programs. Teach social emotional and resiliency skills. Connect youth to caring adults and positive activities. Maui’s tattoos are not just art, they represent the significance of the early experiences children have and the potential long-term impact on their lives. Adverse childhood experiences are common, much more common than they should be. All of us, parents, family members educators and community members can play an important role in preventing and reducing the negative impact adverse childhood experiences can have on our children. My daughter is only three years old, so this was not the answer I gave to her when she simply asked “Why does Maui have tattoos?”, but one day when she is older, I will make sure to share with her that adverse childhood experiences are the real reason why Maui has tattoos.