A brief history of tattoos
Humans have marked their bodies for permanent effect for thousands of years. These indelible markings found on all parts of the body have through history had multiple meanings to numerous groups of people. They have served as amulets, status symbols, declarations of love, signs of religious association, and untold other personal justification. The fascination with Tattoo is its permanence. Nothing else leaves such a permanent imprint, such a permanent focus of others, onto one’s body.
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| ötzi the ice man |
The word Tattoo is said to have two major derivations – From the Polynesian word ‘ta’ which means striking something and the Tahitian word ‘tatau’ which means ‘to mark something’.Earliest evidence of tattoo exists on a recently discovered “iceman” found in Europe and estimated to be 5000 Years old. The iceman’s body had 52 tattoos covering mostly joints and his lower back. The tattoos were not elaborate but instead consisted of lines and dots. Specialists suggest that the tattoos were used for therapeutic reasons. Believing the tattoos helped alleviate arthritis.
The history of tattoo journey’s through the Bronze Age, Pazyryk culture, Egyptian cultures and Japan. It germinated and was spread to Europe through early explorers traveling through Polynesia who experienced the “primitive natives” of island like New Zealand and Samoa. There is a loosely documented history of Tattoo throughout the ages but the accepted notion by many researches is that tattoo originated independently in many cultures around the world at different times. Burned embers being rubbed into open wounds left indelible marks on the skin. These esthetic accidents are what experts believe ignited the creative juices of our forefathers.
For a great deal of the history of tattoo, it has been associated with criminals, outlaws and misfits. A ritual once forced upon them it didn’t take long for these outlaws to embrace tattoo as a symbol of their bravery, daring and departure from convention. Gang tattoos and gang tattoo design is no different.
Book Cover
Dystopian visions of tattoo come in the form of social control. Dystopian science fiction writer, Suzanne Weyn describes a society of humans in her book, Bar Code Rebellion, tagged and barcoded. The barcode is tattooed and permanent. Each citizen is bagged and tagged and essentially tracked by government agencies.
Another potentially dystopian view of tattoo is what online think tank bloggers refer to as Genetic tattooing, a tattoo that holds more than simply ink, a tattoo that is capable of changing based on personal physiological variables. Imagine a tattoo that glows or a tattoo that undulates its intensity in rhythm to one’s heartbeat. Maybe a tattoo that fads with age or is genetically programmed to change its shape over time.
Tattoo is an urban communication device. Does the digital age render tattoo impotent or can tattoo and its inherent social effect be translated to the digital realm? The physical placement and design of permanent skin images is a powerful communicating device. Often times radical and spectacular. Is there a place online, a social platform that is as permanent and as spectacular? Our online presence is a mix of ephemeral social experience and our avatars in each environment we choose to engage are often times different.
I argue that Tattoos do indeed barcode us as individuals, they label us and those labels become our permanent expression to the physical world around us. There are few other personal expressions as powerful as a tattoo and we may be missing something online without the permanence of such a urban communication device.
Tattooing is one of the oldest forms of art. As far back as we have traces of human activity, we have indications that they have been tattooed.
The first tattoos probably were created by accident. Someone had a small wound, and rubbed it with a hand that was dirty with soot and ashes from the fire. Once the wound had healed, they saw that a mark stayed permanent. In time they learned to use it consciously and artistically.
Tattooing did not develop some specific place on Earth and spread from there. All communities and all societies has practiced tattooing in some form.
To want to have a tattoo, is a primeval human instinct. But everybody does not dare, or hasn't realized their needs yet.
The Bronze Age:
Several Danish museums have needles from the Bronze Age (about 2000 - 500 B.C.), that is supposed to have been used for tattooing. There is no proof, but the circumstances surrounding the finds are convincing the scientists that they have been thus used.
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| A bronze age tattoo needle in Bornholm's Museum in Rønne, Denmark. |
Inuit
All the people all around the Arctic has been tattooed.
This is a small figure carved out of a walrus tusk. It is about 2000 years old, and is enhanced with traditional tattoo designs.
It was very normal, especially for the women, to get tattooed lines down their chin. The lines around the eyes are also very normal.
In 1654 4 Eskimos were kidnapped from Nuuk and taken to Bergen in Norway where their portraits were painted. Later they were taken to Copenhagen,and today this painting is one of the treasures in the National Museum in Copenhagen. This is the oldest surviving portrait of Inuit, and it is very obvious that both women were tattooed.
America
In the mythology around the Cowboys and Indians in the times of "The Wild West", the Indians' war paint plays an important role. There is no doubt that the Indians also used body paint, but I am also pretty sure that some of this war "paint" were actually tattoos
Africa
In Africa, where people have dark skin, it is difficult to make a colourtattoo, like we know them. But they want to be tattooed anyway, so they have developed another technique - they make scarifications. This is not really tattooing, but it is related to tattooing, so I will treat them here anyway. I call it "tattooing for the blind", because they can be felt like Braille lettering.
Normally scarifications are made by lifting the skin a little, and making a cut with a knife or some other sharp thing. In the wound that occurs, is rubbed special sands or ashes that is known to make beautifully raised scars.
Europe
The tradition that we know best in Europe, is the so called "Sailor Tattoo". Motives like: Faith-hope-and-love, hearts, roses, sailor's grave, etc.
But tattooing in Europe dates much further back. Actually the oldest preserved human, a man who was found on the border between Austria and Italy - the Iceman - was tattooed (you can read a bit more about him under Ancient Times). That is of course no coincidence. People have always been tattooed in Europe. It was rather normal for the crusaders in the middle ages to get a tattoo as a reminder of the events they participated in.The Picts in England were probably called just that because they were tattooed.
Tattooing in Europe has always been much more than the sailor tattoo. It is very likely that the Vikings were tattooed. At around year 1100 the Arab Ibn Fadlan described a meeting with some Vikings. He thought them very rude, dirty - and covered with pictures.
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