10/10/2026
Teva Evans grew up on Norfolk Island, but his ancestral roots spread right across the South Pacific. The first Norfolk Islanders were the descendants of the HMS Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian wives, who after first settling on Pitcairn Island, eventually landed on Norfolk Island in June 1856.
“Our island though sits on a cultural border,” writes Teva, “our feet straddling both sides. We are the offspring of both European and Pacific Island ancestral lines. We are born of both English and Tahitian descent, stretching from Pitcairn Island to Norfolk Island. Norfolk/Pitcairn Islanders have a unique and personal insight into the creation of a culture — we were created as a people just 200 years ago, straight into a shrinking world.”
Teva’s search for identity took him back to Tahiti. “I wanted to be good for my people, good for my family and good for the island. I thought the answer might lay in the past, by tapping into my ancient genealogy. I would pass the ancient rite of passage the Tahitian way, through tattoo.”
“Tattoo is for Life, Teva” features in the Roaring Journals’ voyaging issue. Pick up your copy at a Patagonia store, or order online at https://bit.ly/4AgtFu7. Limited copies available.
All proceeds go to Surfrider Foundation Australia and Surfers For Climate.
Photos: Ted Grambeau and Tim McKenna.