ANA SAYFA - TATTOO - DÖVME - PIERCING - KALICI MAKYAJ - DÖVME GEÇÝCÝ - FORUM - STÜDYO - ÝLETÝÞÝM
TATTOO CULTURE
Tattoo Culture examines the rituals and social significance of tattooing in cultures around the world. The record of human history shows that tattoos have served in many various and diverse cultures as rites of passage, marks of status and rank, symbols of religious and spiritual devotion, decorations for bravery, sexual lures and marks of fertility, pledges of love, punishment, amulets and talisman, protection and as the marks of outcasts and convicts.
It’s here that we begin to understand why more than forty five million North Americans -- and countless millions more worldwide-- have submitted to this type of self mutilation. We’ll see that the proudly tattooed consider body ink not only beautiful but strangely (and often suddenly) necessary. They may not know that early American Indians believed war paint protected them in battle. Or that 19th century merchant sailors wore tattoos as a talisman against the ever-present possibility of drowning at sea. Or that many Burmese believe, even today, that a tattoo over the heart can stop bullets. But when an otherwise rational individual sets down hard-earned cash on the counter and tells Lockhart to fire up the tattoo machine, something primal is calling the shots.
Thai
Tattoo Tradition Draws Worldwide Devotees
Can a tattoo stop a bullet? Some people think so.
For centuries, Thai soldiers have covered their bodies in protective tattoos called Sak Yant. Today, the ancient ritual is booming and thousands of people — in Thailand and beyond — are flocking to master artists to have the powerful designs inked on their bodies. The Wat Bang Phra Buddhist temple, about 30 miles west of Bangkok, is one of the most highly esteemed locations for Sak Yant. Dozens of monks and master artists, who have spend years perfecting the art, can be found there.
Irezumi
This is going to be a painful excursion: On the second floor above a Chinese restaurant in a quiet shopping street in Yokohama is Horiyoshi III’s studio. An artist that paints by carving into people’s skin and inserting ink - the legendary Horiyoshi III is a traditional irezumi master and folks from all over the world make an appointment half a year in advance to get one of his colourful tattoos. PingMag stepped into his studio to get to know more about this ancient Japanese artform.
First, let’s distinguish between the terms irezumi and tattoo: In Japan, they certainly have different meanings. “An irezumi is something that is normally hidden beneath clothing,” Horiyoshi III says. “Many young people in Japan today are getting tattoos to show them off. That is very different.”
Tattoo japan History
The history of Japanese irezumi, literally “putting in ink,” stretches back at least to the Yayoi Period from 300 B.C. to 250 A.D. The marks were status symbols, but from the Kofun Period (250 to 538 A.D.), criminals were punished with compulsory inky markings. Still, it developed simulteously as an art form. Much later, in the Meiji Era (1868-1912), irezumi was regarded as “barbaric” and not befitting of a country that was trying to open itself to the world. It was banned and irezumi artists became criminals overnight, constantly moving from place to place to avoid being caught.
However, in the port town of Yokohama there was a large community of foreign merchants and sailors largely beyond the reach of Japanese law. Many irezumi artists moved to this area and practised their trade on the skin of foreign sailors, spreading the art of Japanese irezumi around the world. After World War II, irezumi became legal again, though it was and still is often associated with the yakuza. Many artists didn’t openly advertise and would get customers only through introductions, a custom which continues today.
But back to Horiyoshi III. Despite the name, he’s not the son of Horiyoshi II. Born as ‘Yoshihito’, in 1971, he became the live-in apprentice of the second Horiyoshi, watching his master’s work, helping him, and practising his technique on his own legs. In 1979, he was recognised as a master himself and received the “III” and also the honorific prefix that is often used by irezumi masters, “hori,” which literally means “carve” or “engrave.” Today, he is 61 years old and still practising.
Tattoo Technique
Tebori means literally “hand carving” and is the most
painful technique. It is done with a tool that resembles a calligraphy
brush, except that it is tipped with extremely sharp needles. This tip
is dipped into ink, and then the needles puncture the flesh, leaving
colour under the surface of the skin. It takes an expert hand, as there
is no way to correct mistakes, and a slip could injure someone.
“It hurts!” says Vancouver-based tattoo artist Thomas Lockhart. In the
1970s, he sought out some of the most famous tattoo artists in America
and had them decorate his skin. Then, he became interested in the
traditional art of Japanese irezumi, especially the tebori
technique. In 1980 he went to Japan to receive elaborate work by
Horiyoshi III. Today, Lockhart is one of the most popular tattoo artists
in North America, known for his Japanese-style tattoos. For him,
Horiyoshi III is “a legend known around the world.” Although the two did
not have much in the way of a common language, they became friends. By
means of thanks, Lockhart gave Horiyoshi III his first tattoo machi
The hand tapping technique and using a machine are completely different,” Horiyoshi explains. “It’s like with baseball practice, where you can have a batting machine or a real human pitcher. They both throw a ball, but otherwise everything is different.” The master finds himself using machines more often: “It’s simply faster. But I still do a lot of hand tapping.” Thomas Lockhart explains the difference: “I remember when Horiyoshi was doing the grey water on my koi [carp]; he never watered it down or used white, he just very lightly tattooed the black in. Something that’s just about impossible with an electric machine.
“The client and I decide on the designs as the work progresses. I add my suggestions to the client’s request, and we build the work together,” Horiyoshi explains. “Very few people with an irezumi body suit know they want that from the beginning. One reason: They don’t know how much it’s going to hurt. Many get a back piece done, and then decide to go for full-body work.”
Also in Yokohama is a Tattoo Museum run by Horiyoshi. Near the entrance you can spot a photo of the irezumi master with Anthony Kiedis, vocalist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers. So, does Horiyoshi have many foreign clients? “Oh, yes, lots,” he answers. “If it’s someone living overseas, they make a reservation about half a year in advance.” Of course, he wouldn’t name the celebs he has decorated, but there have been many.
Finally, just how much does it hurt? “That’s impossible to explain in words,” Horiyoshi says with a gentle voice, smiling. “You just have to experience it yourself to understand…”
Tattoos
Hinder Job Search, Says Vault Survey
Vault Releases Survey on Tattoo and Body Piercings in the Workplace
In the job search? You might want to think twice before adorning
yourself with permanent body art. According to career publisher
Vault.com’s (www.vault.com) new Tattoo and Body Piercing Survey, 85% of
survey respondents believe that tattoos and body piercings impede ones
chances of finding a job.
Said one survey respondent: “Regardless of who the real person may be, stereotypes associated with piercings and tattoos can and do affect others. In general, individuals with tattoos and body piercings are often viewed as ‘rougher’ or ‘less educated.’”
Despite such prejudice, only 16% of employers have an official company policy on tattoos and piercings. Vault found that over half of employees with tattoos and/or body piercings opt to cover up when they are at work.
Forty-two percent of those surveyed admitted to having either a tattoo and/or body piercing (besides “pierced ears”). Of that group, 40% had one or more tattoos and only 20% had one or more piercings.
Consistent with Vault’s first Tattoo and Body Piercing Survey conducted in 2001, the most popular place to get a tattoo is the arm at 25%.
Vault’s 2007 Tattoo and Body Piercing Survey, conducted earlier this month, is comprised of 468 responses from employees representing a variety of industries across the.
The
Word Made Flesh
Multnomah Bible College reverses its ban on tattoos. Christians rejoice.
Matt Farlow's body belongs to God. The Multnomah Biblical Seminary grad
student claims that all of his tattoos "glorify Christ," except for his
first piece of ink: a small, now-faded lightning bolt. Since Farlow, now
33 and married with two kids, became "full-on Jesus-centered" in his
20s, he's marked his body with only religious imagery. And now that
Multnomah Bible College (and its grad school, the Seminary) finally
allows students to show off their body art, Farlow can display a
full-sleeve tattoo of vibrant symbols depicting the Holy Trinity and the
Greek name of God.
Symbols of
love and hate: messages behind Allgier's tattoos
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (ABC 4 News)- Curtis Allgier wears the symbols of white supremacy on his face but he told a prison Board of Pardons that he did not belong to the Aryan Empire Warriors or any other prison gang despite what the tattoos say on his body.
"I am an Aryan, I'm of Aryan descent, that's not a gang, that's a culture," said Curtis Allgier during his last meeting with the Utah Board of Pardons on April 6, 2006.
Allgier got busted for getting tattoos on his face last year and had to spend time in the Utah State Prison isolation area after a conviction on conspiracy charges. Getting a tattoo is against the rules in prison, but the inmates do it for protection and intimidation. The tattoo on the top of Allgier's forehead says "Property of Jolene," an apparent romantic reference to his wife Jolene Allgier. But the other tattoos he wears reflect an ideology of hatred espoused by white supremacy groups.
Bilderbuch-Frauen
Pricked Reality Picturebook Women
Images pricked on human skin are rather associated with self destruction
or with manliness, toughness; full-body tattoos on women generally
contradict the cliché of femininity in our society. The photographer
Boris Schmalenberger explored this cliché and is now presenting his new
series entitled “Bilderbuch-Frauen” (picture-book women).
After Internet research, Schmalenberger visited several tattooed women in different cities throughout Germany and photographed them in large-format.
Boris Schmalenberger is showing us tattooed women as human beings who differ from others because they express their individuality explicitly through their bodies; a concept which derives from a desire that fashion has long been failing to satisfy. In contrast to his earlier works, the photographer this time surprises by his choice of a documentary-like style to concern himself once more with one of the key themes of his oeuvre: human physicality. Nevertheless, these images prove to be aesthetic constructions that surpass merely copying reality by their poetically structured compositions: Thus, the title “Bilderbuch-Frauen” (picture-book women) is explicitly to be understood literary.
Hate On
Display:
A Visual Database of Extremist Symbols, Logos and Tattoos
Prison Tattoos
Although many people entering the prison population are affiliated with
the hate movement before their incarceration, prisoners from different
ethnic backgrounds often join racist gangs once inside the penal system.
They join these groups not only because they adhere to the gang's racist
ideology, but also for protection and as a way to participate in
criminal activity within the prison. These inmates' tattoos offer
important information about gang affiliation, personal history and
criminal activity.
Taboo of
tattoos in the workplace
At Devotion Tattoo in Orlando, a police officer recently came in with
his short-sleeved uniform top to make sure the tattoo he received would
not extend below his clothing, reported store manager Chava Goldman. The
shop on Mills Avenue tattoos a lot of professionals, she said, who work
with the shop's artists to make sure their body art can be hidden on the
job.
Karman &
Malinda's Top 11 Lesbian Fashion Accessories
Before tattoos became so popular that even sorority sisters were getting
them, queer girls defiantly displayed their tats as inky indicators that
they were traveling into forbidden “man” territory. Tattoos of anything
— from astrological signs and Goth-like florals to the tried-and-true
anchor — were far more likely to be found on a lesbian than the rest of
the female population.
A Portrait
of "Generation Next"
How Young People View Their Lives, Futures and Politics
Their parents may not always be pleased by what they see on those visits
home: About half of Gen Nexters say they have either gotten a tattoo,
dyed their hair an untraditional color, or had a body piercing in a
place other than their ear lobe. The most popular are tattoos, which
decorate the bodies of more than a third of these young adults.
Thirty-six percent of those ages 18 to 25, and 40 percent of those ages 26 to 40, have at least one tattoo, according to a fall 2006 survey by the Pew Research Center.
WHO'S
TATOOED?
Laumann and co-researcher Dr. Amy Derick, of the University of Chicago,
found that year of birth was a predictive factor for tattoos: 36 percent
of people aged 18 to 29; 24 percent of those aged 30 to 40; and only 15
percent of those aged 40 to 50 had tattoos. Sixteen percent had obtained
their first tattoo before age18.
People of lower educational status were more likely to have a tattoo and
also more likely to have more than one tattoo than those of higher
educational status.
Drinking alcohol and using recreational drugs were related to having
tattoos. Over a third of ex-drinkers and a fourth of current drinkers
had tattoos, as did almost 40 percent of those who have ever used
recreational drugs and 60 percent of those who have been in jail for
more than three days.
Tattoos were seen in all ethnic groups but were more common among those
with Hispanic ancestry than among all other ethnic groups combined.
MORE SKIN,
LESS INK
A short history of tattoos.
12th Century B.C.: Polynesian cave dwellers carve symbols into their
flesh to ward off demons.
18th Century A.D.: Captain Cook's crew get hip to mutilation on their
South Pacific voyages.
Late 1960s: Janis Joplin lances the tribal barrier and gets branded in
the name of rock.
1974: Cher splits from Sonny and celebrates with a big butt-erfly.
2004: Laser technology allows Cher to Turn Back Time.
Update: Two years later, Cher is still trying to turn back time at the
laser studio, discovering that it takes a lot longer and can be more
painful to remove tattoos than to get them. She is not alone.
Now that tattooing has crossed over from the mark of Cain to a
full-blown hipster fad, with an estimated one-quarter of young North
American adults thus branded, the race is on to remove, revise and
rebrand. Isn't that the perfect definition of pop culture? Permanence is
now officially passe and commitment only skin deep.
TATTOOING
BURSTS THROUGH THE COLOR BARRIER
When Monique Dillard dredged up the courage to get her first tattoo 14
years ago, she had two fears: that it would be intensely painful and
that the colored ink would look dull on her light brown skin. Neither
happened, and Dillard became addicted to getting tattooed. “It’s a
rush,” she said. “Like sex.”
As her skin art collection grew, Dillard got strange looks from fellow
black students at college. Word came back to her that a few of them
thought she was "trying to be white."
"I was one of the few black people, let alone black women, who had
tattoos," said Dillard, 34, a cosmetologist who lives in Washington. She
now has 11 boldly colored images permanently etched onto her chest,
back, stomach and arms. Most of them are tributes: five panthers, in
memory of dead relatives, and the numbers 1 and 4 surrounded by flames
on her inner left forearm, a reminder of the street where she grew up.
"I notice now a lot more African-American people are getting tattoos,
especially females,” she said.
SYMBOLS ON
SKIN CONNECT HEARTS TO HISTORY ALASKA
Natives embrace old tattoo designs in a nod to tradition
BARROW -- In a modern twist to an age-old practice, a few residents in
this Inupiat town are sporting tattoos on chins and chests to honor
ancestors and whale hunting.
One whaler wants to create a one-dimensional whale-tail necklace commemorating kills. Two women have chin markings that symbolize family and ancient traditions.
It's perhaps the latest development in an ongoing effort by Alaska Natives -- at least two Aleuts also have facial tattoos -- to revive language, dancing and art.
TATTOO
AMONG THE NATIVES OF NEW ZEALAND
Tattoos and the art of tattooing in prehistoric societies
The tattoo, or moko, (its native name,) is done either with the sharp
bone of a bird, or with a small chisel, called uhi. The candidate for
this distinction reposes his head upon the knees of the operator, who
drives the chisel into the skin with his hand. Each time, the chisel is
dipped into a pigment called marahee, which is prepared by carbonizing
the resin of the kauri-pine, and after each incision the blood is wiped
off. The persons operated upon never allow the slightest expression of
pain to escape them; and, after the inflammation has passed away, the
regular and clear scars appear dark. The tattooing of the lips is the
most painful part of the operation.
POLYNESIA
SAMOA TATTOOS
Originally, tattooing of women in Samoa was done only on women of rank.
Because of this distinction, tattooing became very popular among the
youths of Samoa who considered tattoos to be a mark of their manhood.
The legends of Samoa describe how two sisters, Tilafaiga and Taema were sent from Manu'a to Fiji to visit the daughter of King Tuimanu'a. While there, they were presented with a gift from the royal family of King Tuifiti which was a tattooing instrument. While swimming home they carefully held onto their precious gift while singing a chant that the Fijians had taught them translating it into Samoan. In English, the chant would say "women are tattooed and men are not.
TATTOOS,
CANNIBALS and FREE LOVE
Samoa stamp request reveals island past of Margaret Mead, sexual
freedom, tattoos, and a mellow lifestyle.
What is Samoa's claim to fame? We'll tell you. Easy living, tattoos and
Margaret Mead.
Annexed by the United States in 1900, Samoa already had a lengthy history of tattoos and sexual practices that disturbed uptight Westerners. However, it took a little while for such things to get noticed. In 1722, the Dutch made a stop there, but decided that these tattoos, which descend from the waist to the ankles, were actually "artfully woven silk tights or knee breeches." Some French in 1768 thought it was paint. It took until 1787 for the expedition of Jan Francoise de la Perouse to discover that they were actually inkings. Unfortunately, La Perouse later decided to hoist an alleged Samoan thief up the mast of his ship by the man's thumbs. This led to what is called the "La Perouse Incident", wherein several of both parties were killed in a fracas. La Perouse later wrote, "I willingly abandoned to others the task of writing the uninteresting history of these barbarous people; a stay of twenty-four hours and the relation of our misfortunes has sufficed to show their atrocious manners.
TATTOOING
IN POLYNESIA
This reference guide is for the students of BYU-H, as well as community
members, in locating important historic, instructional, visual, and
pictorial information on Pacific Island Tattooing.
SKIN DEEP
The history and meaning of body art is hardly superficial
Mothers and anthropologists agree: Tattoos are forever.
While they may appear to be a contemporary rage – it's estimated 1 in 10
Americans has or has had at least one tattoo, almost 5 in 10 among
Americans aged 18 to 29 – humans have in fact been adorning themselves
with tattoos, piercing, paint, scars and other forms of permanent and
semi-permanent ornamentation for tens of thousands of years. It's likely
the late-Paleolithic cultures of 30,000 years ago did more than just
paint cave walls.
TATTOOS,
PIERCINGS SLIP INTO DRESS CODES
NEW YORK -- Colleen Harris doesn't fit the stereotype of the buttoned-up
librarian. Her arms are covered with a pirate queen motif and black
scrolling tattoos, which extend down the side of her body to her ankle.
A black rose and the words "Dangerous Magic" adorn the back of her left
hand, and the words "Anam Cara" (old Gaelic for "soul friend") letter
her knuckles.
The 27-year-old — who has multiple masters degrees and a job at the University of Kentucky's research library — feels no pressure to cover up.
"It's not really possible at this point, unless I wore gloves," Harris said, adding that she thinks academia has been more accepting of her body art than the corporate world would be. "I think my qualifications should speak for themselves.
EARLY
ROMAN TATTOOS
During the early Roman Empire, slaves exported to Asia were tattooed
"tax paid." Words, acronyms, sentences, and doggerel were inscribed on
the bodies of slaves and convicts, both as identification and
punishment. A common phrase etched on the forehead of Roman slaves was
"Stop me, I'm a runaway.
TATTOOS
USED 'TO IMPROVE APPEARANCE
A Central Queensland University study has found that people who decide
to get a tattoo are not doing it to besocially deviant", but do it to
improve their appearance.
The research looked at the views of over 1,000 people aged between 18
and 82 in central and northern Queensland.
The study's author, Leeana Kent, says older studies used to associate
people with tattoos with personality disorders and psychosis.
Ms Kent says that is now an outdated view and social exclusion is not
the reason why people get tattoos.
"People are doing it because they want to be socially accepted rather
than because they're rejecting society's norms and expectations," she
said.
"However, having said that, unfortunately negative stereotypes of
tattooed individuals still exists in contemporary society."
Ms Kent says she was surprised to find that men without tattoos are more
influenced by what they see in the media.
"Non-tattooed males are perhaps reaching the decision to get a tattoo to
improve their physical appearance," she said.
"The improvement of physical appearance was mainly associated with
females, whereas now this indicates that it's also associated with
males.
DO NOT RESUSCITATE TATTOO
Mary Wohlford, 80, has "DO NOT RESUSCITATE" emblazoned on her chest. Wohlford, of Decorah Dyersville, Iowa, got the ink in February to hopefully eliminate the possibility of any Terri Schiavo-esque controversy about her medical wishes should she become unable to communicate them directly.
If all else fails, if family members can't find her living will or can't face the responsibility of ending life-sustaining measures, she said, then doctors will know her wishes by simply reading the tiny words that are tattooed over her sternum.
TATTOOS
AND CORNROWS
A few years ago, the shoe company And 1 created an advertisement in
which Latrell Sprewell said, "People say I'm America's worst nightmare;
I say I'm the American dream." In the background a blues guitar plays
"The Star-Spangled Banner" in imitation of Jimi Hendrix's version of the
anthem (And 1 couldn't afford the rights to his version). Seth Berger,
the president of the company, said that MTV created a youth market in
which blacks and whites are indifferent to color: "It's a race-neutral
culture that is open to endorsers and heroes that look different. These
people are comfortable with tattoos and cornrows.
INKY
DRAMA:
Actors find ways to hide tattoos when needed
Long time partners and Valley actors Andi Watson and Jason Barth say
having tattoos — including her dramatic comedy and tragedy masks has
affected their theatrical careers.
NIKE
SWOOSH
In order to demonstrate their corporate loyalty, many Nike employees
wear on their legs a tattoo of a swoosh.
UNDER THE
SKIN
Despite this move into the popular cultural realm, tattoos and extreme
body modification do indeed remain for many marks of difference:
cultural indicators of social deviance for some, a membership in a
cultural group or collective for others, a rejection of mainstream
western consumer culture for others still. Subcultural groups like the
neo-primitives have continued, through resisting the sanitized, safe
version of tattoos and by engaging in bricolage themselves, to maintain
a counter-hegemonic subculture punctuated by extreme forms of
body-modification. Neo-primitives value all forms of body modification
less as art and more as a spiritual and ritualistic connectedness to the
earth, the body and the “primitive.” They exemplify the concept of the
body as text. In an early 21st century world where bodies are sculpted
to the ideals dictated by popular culture, the neo-primitives go to an
extreme to claim dominion over their bodies in all forms.
See his a in depth look at why people get tattoos.
PRISON
TATTOOS
Although many people entering the prison population are affiliated with
the hate movement before their incarceration, prisoners from different
ethnic backgrounds often join racist gangs once inside the penal system.
They join these groups not only because they adhere to the gang's racist
ideology, but also for protection and as a way to participate in
criminal activity within the prison. These inmates' tattoos offer
important information about gang affiliation, personal history and
criminal activity.
GANG
SYMBOLS & IDENTIFICATION
The goal of this website is to provide law enforcement and corrections
personnel, parents, teachers, and concerned citizens, the assistance and
knowledge necessary to determine if street or prison gangs are in your
community or corrections facility.
AMAZING
TATTOOS YOU CAN'T HAVE
A look at cool French tattoo artist Yann and his unique style that has
caused him to become one of the "it" tattoo artists in Europe. You
really should check out his gallery photos for some truly original works
of tattoo art. (from SFGate.com Culture Blog)
UNMARRIED
TATTOOED HEATHENS, HO!
More shacking up, more visible body art, less concern for the old ways.
Is America dead?
No really, it is. And it's not just because we've lost habeas corpus, a bedrock protective law and a cornerstone of American freedom, to the rabid, stupid dogs of neoconservative fearmongering. That merely feels like a weird horror movie, the leatherfaced guy with the chain saw hacking off the head of the sexy college girl and laughing maniacally. The pain is simply too horrific and cartoonish to even register. Yet.
No, Bush's ambling rape of the Constitution and moral law is not the true sign of social decay and devolution. There is a far worse problem lurking, lingering, sneaking up on American values like giant snakes slithering onto a plane.
The real problem is, of course, tattoos. And piercings. And also: single people who defy the institution of marriage and choose to live together in sin. And then get tattoos. Haven't you heard? (see the whole article at
SKIN DEEP
A CULTURAL HISTORY OF TATTOOING
An exhibition at the
Arizona State University Museum of Anthropology ran from March 23 to
September 2006. Our technical advisor
Lars Krutak was the guest curator presenting contemporary &
historical photographs, rare books, engravings, postcards, tattoo
instruments, documentary film & other media.
CULTURE IS
SKIN DEEP
Tattoos with Asian writing is a fashion must-have, but does it symbolize
cultural insensitivity?
By LYNDA LIN, Pacific
Citizen Assistant Editor
Some people describe the act of plunging a needle into flesh to create a
permanent tattoo as nothing short of being a divine experience. The
joining of man, art and culture in one sharp point hearkens to
traditional tribal tattooing rituals of the past, but the only
difference is that these days, rituals are being replaced with
convenience. People can now walk into nearly any tattoo shop and pick
out a cultural identity of their choice and spell it out on their skin,
all within 30 minutes or less.
TATTOO
MUSEUMS
The site of one of Borneo's best kept secrets! Prepare yourself for a
journey into the past history of Sarawak and Borneo's heritage as a
whole. Nine Museums are waiting for you to explore and visit. Most were
built close to a century ago and yet they have remained and survived
over the years. The buildings themselves are historical and today, serve
as the custodian and keeper of all the historical documents and
artifacts such as antiques, monuments, cultural landmarks,
archaeological specimens, architectural, artistic and religious
materials associated with the traditions and beliefs of the people of
Sarawak and Borneo as a whole.
Urban
Legends
Suffer to Be Beautiful
Women in childbirth with tattoos on their lower backs should not receive
anesthetic via epidural injection.
Tattoo Museum
Founded in 1986, it is one of only a few museums in the world dedicated to the display of tattoo artifacts. Located in Fort Bragg, across from the Guest House Museum, the collection is fittingly housed in one of the town's original Victorian storefronts. Triangle Tattoo & Museum is open 7 days a week from noon until 6 P.M. All ages are welcome. Admission is free. School and personal guided tours are given upon request. Please call in advance.
Bring a cup of coffee and prepare to be bombarded with tattoo images that will dazzle your senses for hours.
You will see portraits of Maori in New Zealand with traditional "Moko" tattoos from the 1800's to the present.
Along the stairway is the American Patriotic Tattoo exhibit with traditional tattoo designs from WWI to the present.
There are exhibits from various cultures worldwide, and displays of the hand tools used in tattooing before the invention of the electric tattoo machine.
A showcase of electric tattooing machines, including traditional electromagnetic machines from around the world and prison style rotary machines.
Tattoos Without Consent is a disturbing exhibit about tattoos that were forced upon individuals. For example, Germany during the Holocaust, Russia, China and other countries that marked their criminals and captives, and sadistic pranksters who mark their victims during drunken escapades.
The Japanese Tattoo exhibit is a fascinating display of antique hand tattoo instruments, portraits of the tattoo masters and examples of their work.
Tattooing in the Circus Sideshow is another fascinating and colorful collection of designs, photographs, and the retired costumes of the last of the Living Circus Sideshow Sword Swallowers, Captain Don Leslie.
Lastly, The Women's Wall, an entire exhibit dedicated to portraits of tattooed women from different cultures and eras.
A female mummy, baptized the Lady of Cao, with complex tattoos on her arms has been found in a ceremonial burial site in Peru, the National Geographic Society reported Tuesday. Archaeologists say is one of the best-ever relics of a civilization that ended more than 1,300 years ago.
The mummy was accompanied by ceremonial items including jewelry and weapons, and the remains of a teenage girl who had been sacrificed, archaeologists reported. Such a complete array has never been seen before in a Moche tomb.
The presence of gold jewelry and other fine items indicates the mummy was that of an important person, but anthropologist John Verano of Tulane University said the researchers are puzzled by the presence of war clubs, which are not usually found with females.
Peruvian archaeologists, under the direction of lead scientist Régulo Franco, made the discovery last year at an ancient ceremonial site known as El Brujo - “the Wizard”.
The tomb lay near the top of a crumbling pyramid called Huaca Cao Viejo, a ruin near the town of Trujillo that has been well known since colonial times.
Verano said the finding is the first of its kind in Peru, and he likens it to the discovery of King Tut's tomb in Egypt.
"We have an entire repertoire of a very high status tomb, preserved perfectly," Verano said.
The burial site that held the tattooed mummy was part of an ornate enclosure holding four graves, at a ceremonial site known as El Brujo — “the Wizard” on Peru’s north coast, near Trujillo.
They said the woman was part of the Moche culture, which thrived in the area between A.D. 1 and A.D. 700. The mummy was dated about A.D. 450.
The woman had complex tattoos, distinct from others of the Moche, covering both arms and other areas. Bone scarring indicated the woman had given birth at least once. The cause of her death was not apparent.
Verano said she would have been considered an adult in her prime. Some Moche people reached their 60s and 70s.
The grave also contained headdresses, jewelry made of gold and semiprecious stones, war clubs, spear throwers, gold sewing needles, weaving tools and raw cotton.
“Perhaps she was a female warrior, or maybe the war clubs and spear throwers were symbols of power that were funeral gifts from men,” Verano said. In the thousands of Moche tombs previously exposed, no female warrior has been identified.
Mummy an "Astonishing" Find
Verano, who has been working with the El Brujo project since 1995, said the area is "one gigantic cemetery" that has been scoured by grave-robbers for centuries.
But the newly found funerary chamber had been sealed from both looters and the elements since around A.D. 450.
The Peruvian team found the complete burial array intact and perfectly preserved, down to the white cotton wrappings of the mummy bundle.
"It's astonishing," said Moche authority Christopher Donnan, an anthropologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, who was not part of the excavation. "This is far and away the best preserved Moche mummy that has ever been found."
The find is described in the June issue of National Geographic magazine.
The Peruvian team is funded by the Augusto N. Wiese Foundation and Peru's National Institute of Culture.
Verano's research is funded by the National Geographic Society's Committee for Research and Exploration. (National Geographic News is part of the National Geographic Society.)
The Moche
The culture of the Moche, who constructed the largest adobe pyramid in the Americas, the Moche Sun Pyramid, developed along Peru's northern coast near what is now the country's third-largest city Trujillo. It flourished in the river valley oases from 100 A.D. to 800 A.D. The Lady of Cao dates to 450 A.D.
The Moche were later conquered by the Chimus, who were known for elaborate irrigation systems and built Chan Chan, one of the world's largest adobe cities.
They in turn were conquered by the Incas, who built a civilization that stretched from the Equator to the Pacific coast of Chile and are best known for the Machu Picchu citadel in southern Peru.
Their rule came to an abrupt end in the 1530s when they were subjugated by the Spanish Conquistadors.
The Moche's Huaca Cao Viejo pyramid is covered in reliefs that suggest prisoners were sacrificed to the gods by a warrior-priest. It was abandoned for centuries.
Moche pottery has been the main way that experts had interpreted their culture. The ceramics showed the Moche had well-developed weaving techniques, but because of rainstorms every few decades, most of their textiles have been destroyed.
Early Archaeological Evidence of Tattoos in Neolithic Europe
An ancient clay figure of the lower half of a male body believed to date back to the Stone Age has been discovered in eastern Germany, archaeologists said... The statue, dubbed the Adonis of Zschernitz, details a male body from the waist to the calves, and is the first such representation of a man to be found in the area, believed to date from 5,000 BC. The Adonis also has deliberate cuts along its bottom, which, Miss Oexle said, are not indications of clothing but probably represent tattoos.
Early Archaeological Evidence of Tattoos in Neolithic Europe
An ancient clay figure of the lower half of a male body believed to date back to the Stone Age has been discovered in eastern Germany, archaeologists said... The statue, dubbed the Adonis of Zschernitz, details a male body from the waist to the calves, and is the first such representation of a man to be found in the area, believed to date from 5,000 BC. The Adonis also has deliberate cuts along its bottom, which, Miss Oexle said, are not indications of clothing but probably represent tattoos.
There are not many Polynesian words that have entered the English language, but perhaps the most widely used is tattoo. Exactly where and when the word "tattoo" originated is open to debate, but it is certain that it was a corruption of the polynesian word tatau, picked up by the early European sailors exploring the Southern Ocean.
The presence of "britches" upon Samoan males, was commented upon in many ships logs of the early explorers, and were sketched by many of the artists that were taken along on these voyages of discovery. Where the Samoans aquired this skill is not known, but there is a folk tale that explains that it was brought to Samoa by two Fijian women. Unfortunately during the course of their journey they made a mistake in the song they were singing. Rather than singing "Tattoo the women and not the men" they started singing "Tattoo the men and not the women". When they arrived in Samoa the first few villages they arrived at were not interested in their skill, but eventually a chief recognised their artistic abilities and they taught the villages their trade and showed them how to make the tools they needed.
There is another story which explains that originally tattoos were painted upon the skin, but a Samoan adventurer who travelled to the kingdom of the spirits learnt the art of true tattooing. He was treated very well by its inhabitants but they found his painted body decorations a pale immitation of their own tatoos. He learnt the art of tattooing, and when he returned to Samoa he introduced the use of hammers and sharpened bone or teeth for tattooing.
Traditional Samoan tattooing of the pe'a, body tattoo, is an ordeal that is not lightly undergone. It takes many weeks to complete, is very painful and used to be a necessary prerequisite to receiving a matai title; this however is no longer the case. Tattooing was also a very costly procedure, the tattooer receiving in the region of 700 fine mats as payment. It was not uncommon for half a dozen boys to be tattooed at the same time, requiring the services of four or more tattooers. It was not just the men who received tattoos, but the women too, although their designs are of a much lighter nature, resembling a filigree rather than having the large areas of solid dye which are frequently seen in mens tattoos. Nor was the tattooing of women as ritualised as that of them men
The whole process was highly ritualised with songs to be sung and tabus being placed on those that were undergoing the ordeal. Some of the first European visitors to Samoa commented upon the tattoos being of religious significance but this seems to have been disputed by anthropologists (both professional and amateur) who arrived later. It is interesting to note that most of the motifs of animal origin are animals which were considered to be sacred by different families.
Autapulu. This is a wide tattooing comb used to fill in the large dark areas of the tattoo.
Ausogi'aso tele. This is a comb used for making thick lines.
Ausogi'aso laititi. This is a comb used for making thin lines.
Aumogo. This small comb is used for making small marks.
Sausau. The mallett is used for striking the combs. It is almost two feet in length and made from the central rib of a coconut palm leaf.
Tuluma. The pot used for holding the tattooing combs.
Ipulama. The cup used for holding the dye. The dye is made from the soot collected from burnt lama nuts.
Tu'i. The pestle used to grind up the dye.
Stages Of Tattooing
In theory it should be possible to complete a pe'a in 10 days; 5 sessions with a day in between each to let the inflamation subside, and on the tenth day, the removal of the taboo which has been placed on the person being tattooed. However this is never the case because the pain and the damage to the skin is too great. The five stages are well defined and outlined below.
I. O le Taga Tapulu (back and small of the back)
In the first session the height to which the tattoo will rise is decided (Ano le Tua), this is always such that the top of the design will show above the lavalava. Then the va'a, pula tama and pula tele are outlined and the design filled in.
The aso fa'aifo run all the way round from the back to the groin and the ivitu runs down between the buttocks to the anus.
II. O le Taga Fai'aso (the posterior)
The aso fa'aifo are completed around to the abdomen and the 'asolaititi are finished. Next to be added are the saemutu, which vary in number depending upon social status. A matai will have four an orator three and anyone else would have two. It appears that this distinction is not strictly adhered to today. Below the saemutu it is possible to find a wide range of devices, although traditionally there were meant to be two thin lines 'aso e lua. Beneath these another band the 'aso taliitu is added, which goes all around the top of the thigh. Where it meets the 'ivimutu at the anus it is called tafaufile, where it covers the perineum it is called tasele, where it covers the scrotum it is called tafumiti and the area over the penis is called tafito. Needless to say this is very painful.
III. Taga Tapau
The lausae, an area of solid tattooing, is added to the thighs beneath the aso e lua.
IV. Taga o Fusi ma Ulumanu
The fourth session is the tatooing of the ulumanu, from the center of the thigh up to the inner groin. In addition the fusi is added, this being a ribbon extending from the perineum and widening to the width of a hand behind the knees.
V. 'Umaga (the end)
The final sessions invloves the tatooing of the abdomen and the navel, the area that covers the navel being called the pute, and is apparently the most painful part of the whole process.
During the who of the process the tattooer, tufuga is assisted by upto six helpers all of whom wish to become masters themselves. One will be responsible for the mixing of the dyes, another is responsible for wiping away the blood, another for dipping the instruments into the dye and receiving instruments that have been used, another cleans and sharpens the teeth of the combs and another will hold the skin tight.
Young women would sit around the person being tattoo, holding them down to stop them moving to much and thus damaging the tattoo, and massaging the head. In addition they will sing a song to try and keep him occupied and keep his mind from the pain in case he starts to complain or cry, which was considered disgraceful behaviour and unfitting for a man.
Below is a song sung repeatedly by women to the men being tattooed.
TATAU
Tattooing was an integral part of ancient Tahitian society. It was far more than merely a bodily ornament. Tattoos would indicate a young girl's sexual maturity, freedom from food tapus and other restrictions, genealolgy andone's rank within society. Nearly everyone in ancient Tahitian society was tattooed. The early French explorer Bougainville noted that "the women of Tahiti dye their loins and buttocks a deep blue" and Captain Cook returned from the Pacific with stories of the art of tatau (hence, the origin of the word tattoo). Shortly after the missionaries arrival the practice was strictly banned, as it was viewed it as a sinful glorification of the flesh. In recent years, however, the art of tattooing has enjoyed a renaissance. Tahitians, and other Polynesians as well, are once again taking pride and interest in their cultural heritage, finding their identity in the revival of many lost arts--including the traditional tatau.
The revival of ttraditional tattoo in Tahiti began in 1981 when Tavana, a previous resident of Hawai'i and Waikiki nightclub owner, and a young Marquesan dancer named Teve, went to Germany to research traditional tattoo designs. On their return trip they stopped in Samoa, as Samoa is the only island group within Polynesia that kept the art of the traditional tatau alive. Arrangements were made for a Samoan tattooist to visit Tahiti, where Teve would receive the full-body traditional tatau done in the Marquesan style, and Tavana would be tattooed with Tahitian designs.
Both Teve and Tavana were tattooed using traditional Samoan tools techniques. Teve's design was copied from one of the earliest records of Marquesan tattooing, an illustration from the journals of Krusenstern, a Captain on the first Russian voyage around the world in 1803-5. Tavana's tattoos were inspired by the descriptions and illustrations of Tahitian tattooing recorded by the early observers. Through Tavana's efforts in bringing the Samoan tattooist to Tahiti, the traditional tattoo was reintroduced into Tahitian culture. In 1982 at the annual Baistille Day festivities in Tahiti, three Samoans demonstrated traditional tattooing. Having seen the Samoan technique, several Tahitian artists were able construct tools and revive the Tahitian form of the art. In 1983-5 there were two demostrations at the fete; the Samoans demonstrating their style and three Tahitians who had learned the art of traditional tatau.
The tatatau, or traditional tattooing tools, consist of a comb with anywhere from three to twenty needles carved from bone and/or shell and hafted to a wooden handle, giving the general shape of an adze. The needles are dipped into a pigment made from the soot of burnt candlenut (tiairi) mixed with water or oil. The needles are then placed on the skin and the handle is tapped with a second wooden stick, causing the comb to puncture the skin and insert the pigment.
Tatau, or tattooing with traditional tools, was banned in 1986 by the Ministry of Health due to the difficulty in sterilizing the wooden and bone equipment. In order to continue practicing the art, the artists developed a tattoo machine constructed from an electric shaver that utilized disposable steel needles, thus avoiding any risk of spreading disease. In recent years, tattooing has become increasingly popular amoung young Tahitians. Dozens of artists are now giving tattoos using shaver-type machines and semi-traditional designs. The traditional tattoo technique and tools were much the same throughout most of the islands in the Pacific; it was the social significance, the designs, and body placement that varied greatly. Our knowledge of Tahitian tattooing in pre-contact times is quite limited. There are only a dozen or so descriptions of the art and even fewer illustrations. We do know that it was a tapu or "sacred" art form. It was performed by skilled professionals who were highly trained in the ritual, aesthetic and technical aspects of the art. Both the designs applied and the location on the body were determined by one's genealolgy, position within the society and personal achievements. Although much of this knowledge has been lost, several contemporary artists are studying the old texts, illustrations and their family records in order to learn what they can of the ancient practice, while other artists are now focusing primarily on visual aspects, creating new designs based on the traditional motifs of both Tahiti and the Marquesas.
The Japanese tattoo
Is an ancient art. Haniwa, small clay figurines, some bearing facial tattoos, have been found in tombs that date from the fourth or fifth century. It is thought that the tattoo signified social rank or warded off evil spirits and wild animals. Over time, the custom faded and it became the fate of criminals, in the old Chinese manner, to be tattooed on the face as a form of punishment. It has been suggested that, in a society where ostracism is the most severe punishment, tattooing became a decorative art as people sought to hide these incriminating symbols of shame within more elaborate shapes and patterns.
Love and religion seem to have been significant inspiration for early Japanese tattoos. Lovers, courtesans and lowly prostitutes would often have the name of a lover written on the inner arm, with the kanji for inochi (life), symbolizing a pledge of eternal love, added. Edo period (1603-1867) literature abounds with references to pledge tattoos, or irebokuro as they were known.
A singular aspect of the Japanese tattoo is that, rather than being almost exclusively a mark of punishment or an element of ritual, it became an immensely popular fashion statement among working-class urbanites of the late 18th century to mid-19th century, despite a ban on tattoos from 1789 to 1801. That was when the tattoo found favor among the growing legions of laborers, rickshaw pullers, criminals, firefighters, artisans and women of the pleasure quarters. The designs flowered from simple messages, invocation or pledge into fuller pictorial forms capable of integrating complex secondary design motifs into a grander overall concept.
For the merchants and samurai who swarmed into the entertainment quarters of Edo, people who wore tattoos were an exotic sight. There were even tattoo exhibitions, with judges and prizes. Tattoos have never received official favor in Japan, however, and are still frowned upon in polite society. During the Edo period expressions of individuality among the masses were invariably interpreted as subversive, a potential cause of social unrest, and accordingly repressed. Tattooing was an obvious target for the government and it was frequently banned, although the bans were largely ignored.
The Japanese tattoo is closely akin to the Japanese woodblock print in design, coloring and techniques, and the popularity of artists like Utagawa Kunisada and Kitagawa Utamaro, who all vigorously depicted the figures of tattooed actors, courtesans and gods, and whose work had enormous appeal at all social levels, coincided with the blossoming of tattoo art among the plebeian masses. As the ukiyo-e woodblock print gradually acquired more color and complexity of design, so the motifs and pigments used in tattooing grew more ambitious and subtle.
Edo firefighters, colorful characters who might almost have stepped out of fiction themselves, were among the first to wear full-body tattoos-works that cover everything but hands, feet and head. Different groups of firefighters displayed different preferences in their tattoo designs, but all seem to have included a protective water symbol of some kind, usually a carp or water dragon. Although tattoos were still regarded with suspicion by the authorities and condemned as "deleterious to public morals," a newly affluent middle class, enthusiastic patrons in all fields of art, were showing much curiosity and appreciation of tattooing, though never going quite as far as to submit to one themselves.
With the opening of the country in the 1860s, renewed efforts were made to suppress tattooing. This time, the ban was not out of concern that personal liberties would encourage an uprising among the masses, but out of concern that the newly arriving emissaries from the West would denounce tattooing as barbaric. Tattoo artists suddenly found that, while their regular Japanese clientele had dried up, they were being asked to do tattoos on the very foreigners whom the authorities sought to protect.
Tongan Tatatau tradition
This site has been created to address the lack of awareness of the
Tongan Tatatau tradition. After researching for years, I've decided to
compile the little information found on Tongan Tatatau. Early reference
on Tongan Tattooing is scarce and the knowledge of it is quickly passing
with each generation. I wanted to preserve this once important part of
the Tongan culture and provide an accessible site for those interested
in learning more.
Because of the lack of sufficient information, some facts and views may
conflict with those presented here. I have come across many of these
contradictions myself. I've tried my best to separate the information
and put forth a more complete understanding of the Tongan Tatatau. I
welcome any criticisms, comments, and/or additional information that can
be provided in order to strengthen the awareness.
The drawing above was
done by d'Urville in the early 1800's. It is the only known sketch of
the traditional Tongan Tatatau. As described by others who were
fortunate enough to observe the Tatatau, it was similar in body
placement, design and significance to other areas of Polynesia such as
Samoa, Tuvalu, Tokelau, etc.
Like most early drawings,
however, there have been criticisms. I have heard that some of the areas
that appear to be solid black were actually fine and closely spaced
patterns that (from a distance) appeared to be solid black.
Ancient Egyptian Tattoos
Written records, physical remains, and works of art relevant to Egyptian tattoo have virtually been ignored by earlier Egyptologists influenced by prevailing social attitudes toward the medium. Today however, we know that there have been bodies recovered dating to as early XI Dynasty exhibiting the art form of tattoo. One of the more famous and written about mummies is that of Amunet, a priestess of the-goddess Hathor, at Thebes. This female mummy displayed several lines and dots tattooed about her body.
A second mummy also found depicted this same type of line pattern (the dancer). This mummy also had a cicatrix pattern over her lower pubic region. In the figure above you can see the various patterns as they are displayed on the body. The various design patterns also appeared on several figurines that date to the Middle Kingdom, these figurines have been labeled the "Brides of Death." The figurines are also associates with the goddess Hathor.
Another mummy found datable to about 2000 B.C. also displayed tattoos on her body resembling that of Amunet and the dancer. Robert Biachi states in his Tattoo in Ancient Egypt that: "Such tattoos created by grouping dots and/or dashes into abstract geometric patterns demonstrate the long duration of tattoo in ancient Nubia, as recent excavations at the Nubian site of Aksha demonstrate. Excavators at Aksha uncovered a number of mummies of both adolescent and adult women with blue (or black-blue) tattoos in precisely the same configurations as those found on the three Egyptian mummies from the Middle Kingdom.
These dot-and-dash patterns have been seen for many years throughout Egypt. Believed that this pattern and skill of tattoo was borrowed from the Nubians, the art of tattoo developed during the Middle Kingdom and flourished beyond. The evidence to date suggests that this art form was restricted to women only, and usually these women were associated with ritualistic practice. These mummies give us site into how long this art form has been practiced and how their art was displayed. From continent to continent this art form has developed and transformed. Through the Egyptian eyes to other cultures tattoo is something that satisfies various needs and interest.
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