What was being expressed in the motifs of tattooing?

MLA style with in text citations and a works cited page. Maori and other cultures of Polynesia and Micronesia were well-known for the arts of tattooing and carving (the marae, the waka, etc.). What was being expressed in the motifs of tattooing ? What kinds of status, rank, and social position were shown ? How do Gell and Harvey understand and interpret the arts of tattooing, and ritual expression in the marae ? Do a similar kind of inquiry about the importance of body-painting and masked dances among Melanesians.