Editing Queequeg (section)

== Queequeg's tattoos ==
In her book ''Tattooing the World'', author Juniper Ellis contemplates the significance of Queequeg's face and bodily markings. Ellis claims that Melville was inspired by a representation of the [[Māori people|Māori]] Chief [[Te Pēhi Kupe]] in [[George Lillie Craik]]'s book, ''The New Zealanders''. Records indicate that Melville's encounter with Craik's book in 1850 caused him to replace Bulkington (the originally intended companion of Ishmael) with a new character: Queequeg.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Ellis |first=Juniper |jstor=10.7312/elli14368.8 |title=Tattooing the World |publisher=Columbia University Press |pages=52–65 |chapter="The Original Queequeg"? TE PEHI KUPE, TOI MOKO, AND MOBY-DICK|date=2008 |doi=10.7312/elli14368 |isbn=978-0-231-14369-1 }}</ref>

While the descriptions of Queequeg's tattoos are dissimilar to those of the Māori Chief, Ellis claims that Melville took inspiration from Te Pēhi Kupe. The parallels and distinctions between his source of inspiration are important to Ellis's interpretation of Queequeg. Although they are similar, Queequeg's tattoos are described in the text as more geometric and square-shaped than the Māori tattoos that are often "rounded into spirals".<ref name=":2" /> Because the historical evidence points to Craik's book as an inspiration for Melville, Ellis argues that these tattoos similarly indicate genealogy, family, and individual identities. Additionally, she believes that these parallels create a stronger link between Queequeg and Pacific origin cultures.<ref name=":2" />