Origin of Tattoos

Tattoos

The practice art of tattooing goes back thousands of years, how far back exactly, well - nobody's sure. The now famous Iceman Г–tzi who dates back around 3000 years had over 50 tattoos covering his body when found. Some are believed to be for therapeutic reasons, maybe for symptoms like arthritis and the like. Many other mummified remains have been discovered ranging from 300 BC to 1000 BC both men and women with similar tattoo designs on their bodies. One in particular that's well documented is The Man of Pazyryk who had various animal designs, including fish and monsters.

China

China is probably the richest source of ancient tattoos with many markings associated with criminality and crude bandits dating 1000 BC. Prisoners were mandatorily marked for their crimes, usually on their face so they were unable to hide their criminal background. Parts of China continued this custom as late as 1912 but is now believed to have stopped. Even popular novels have been published with characters having tattoo designs on their person, some that cover their whole face. China were much regarded to have the best tattooists, so much so that people from northern India travelled to China to have their bodies painting.

Philippines

Numerous other countries followed and adapted the art like India and Egypt but nowhere like the Philippines who believed that a tattooed body was a magical body. Instances of rank and power were commonly associated with the type of tattoos that was tattooed on a person. Today there are tribes who still practice the art of tattooing.

Japan

Another authority on tattoo designs is Japan whom have some of the earliest forms of the art present in their culture, many relating back to 10,000 BC. As in China, Japan punished their criminals with a tattoo instead of removing ears or sometimes their nose as was once the case. For each crime they were given a ring around their arm but later this was banned for lacking any kind of respect and seen by many as barbaric. For a vast amount of Japanese, especially manually workers, firemen and even prostitutes the symbol of been tattooed communicated their status.

Samoa

Pe'a is the Samoa word for a male tattoo and malu for the female equivalent. The very word tattoo is to have understood to come from the Samoan word tatau. The actual method for applying these designs on the skin is still more or less unchanged by the Samoan people and requires some skill and practice to carry out. There is much pain involved for the recipient and it usually takes weeks to complete the process. Like other cultures the design you wear can be a symbol of rank and power and for young chiefs these pe'a are largely carried out when the young boys reached puberty. For any young man who could not withstand the pain and therefore decided not to continue with their markings, this would be deemed cowardly and shameful. There was always the risk and a very real one of the tattoos becoming infected, in some cases with the loss of live.

Tattooing in the 21st century

It wasn't really until the latter decades of the 21st century that tattooing took hold and became a popular art form in most modern societies. We either have a tattoo design, have aspirations for one or know someone who has one. In both men and women they have become the norm in modern society with more intricate art work being designed that there is a tattoo for everyone. Parlors have sprung up on virtually every high street, where as a few years earlier they would be hidden away in the side street with only their name giving them away. Artists have had to up their game to keep up with the ever increasing talent emerging with some designs showing a great artistic skill that the realism is photographic in their appearance. One category that has become massive in its own right and in the amount of various designs it offers is tribal tattoos. Fifty percent of all requested designs today are of a tribal nature that has exploded this design onto the world's art front. Part of the reason for its popularity is its ageless and fashionable format of symmetrical curved lines that appeal and suit various individuals from different walks of life. Today it is far more acceptable to be seen with a tattoo design even for the higher classes of society, from legal and medical professions to the middle and lower classes. The stigma has all but vanished from those single minded people who once thought only the common would wear such a monstrosity on their person.