The art of tattooing has been around for many thousands of years. The styles and reasons for it have varied from individual to individual, as well as from society to society. Some tattoos were done for simple adornment, others were done for religious beliefs, and others still for reasons only their owners will understand.
Tattooing has existed in one form or another across the globe since before recorded history, and the popularity of this unique form of expression will most likely continue for centuries to come. Although the basic concept of tattooing has been a constant throughout the history of mankind, the styles and reasons for it have evolved along with humanity’s own evolution.
Five thousand years ago, a man fell dead on the slopes of the Italian Alps. Five thousand years later, when his well-preserved body was discovered, something remarkable was found. Across his back and behind both knees were several simple line tattoos.
The significance of these tattoos, if there was any other than to decorate the body, is unknown. Some speculate that they were done for medicinal purposes. The pigments used may have been a certain type of berry known to have curative effects for different ailments.
The oldest tattooed mummy on record is the Lady Amunet, who was a priestess of the Goddess Hathor. She lived in Thebes around 2160 B.C. Her tattoos consisted of curling blue lines and dots scattered across most of her body. Historians don’t know if there were specific reasons or meanings associated with the markings themselves or the placement; however, the current theory is that they are somehow related to a hieroglyphic image of a woman covered in tattoos.
These images of tattooed women found in the tombs of kings are known as the “brides of the dead.” It was thought that these brides of the dead would lead the dead kings to the afterlife and there rejuvenate them. Amunet, perhaps, was a living representation of this religious belief.
Eventually, Egyptian tattooing began to move past simple abstract symbols and into more representational art. The only specific design found was that of the god Bes. Bes protected the home, everything in it, and also women who were giving birth. Done as a simple outline, this tattoo has been found on the thighs of dancers’ mummified bodies.
The ancient Romans were vehemently against marking the body in any way. The belief was that we are created in God’s image and to desecrate that was sacrilege. In Rome at this time, tattoos were grounds for banishment.
Furthermore, Romans used tattoos to brand criminals. However, while fighting on foreign fronts, Roman soldiers encountered warriors of the British Isles who wore tattoos as a badge of honor. Perhaps in admiration or sympathy with these fierce foes, these Roman soldiers adopted the practice of tattooing.
As these Roman soldiers returned home, the market for tattoos grew in the heart of Rome. Doctors, whose tools could be adapted to the practice of tattooing, quickly took up the art and began to perfect the trade, becoming tattoo artists.
Here we begin to see how the individual has always pursued the tattoo, even though it runs counter to the beliefs and values of the society in which they live. This was never more true than in the early days of Christianity.
It was at this time that tattoos were forbidden under the guise of religion. “Thou shalt not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you” Leviticus 19:28. Despite this, many early Christians had themselves tattooed with a cross to signify their permanent allegiance to Christ.
Some of the power of a tattoo comes from its permanence once placed on the body. If found by the Romans, these early tattooed Christians would surely be put to death.
In 325 A.D., tattoos again came under fire as Emperor Constantine took up Christianity. The pagan Roman Empire became the Holy Roman Empire. Constantine decreed the body sacred and that it was not to be defiled by man. This effectively drove tattooing underground. By the 4th century, tattooing was nearly nonexistent in Europe.
Tattoo carries a radically different meaning from one culture to the next. We see this clearly in a sect of Egyptian Christians called the Copts. The Copts continued to tattoo their inner wrists with small crosses. This was the beginning of some of the most elaborate religious tattoos ever seen.
During the Holy Wars of the 11th and 12th centuries, warriors often marked themselves with the Jerusalem Cross, fearing that if they died in battle, the cross would mark them for a proper Christian burial. Once the Crusades were over, the practice of tattoo largely disappeared in the west once again.
The impulse to tattoo the body is universal and finds expression in every culture. Japan may have had the most complete and exotic devotion to tattoos. The art flourished in Japan mainly due to a repressive government edict allowing only the royal and wealthy to wear elaborately decorated kimonos. The merchant class began to acquire tattoos. Full and elaborate body suits were the style.
The only parts of the body not tattooed were the face, hands, and the 3-4 inch seam that ran from the neck to below the navel. The imagery was mostly taken from the classic literature at the time. These suits would consist of stories of conflict and courage. Sword-wielding samurai doing battle with mythical dragons would adorn many men in one form or another as an act of rebellion.
In 1870, the Japanese government outlawed the practice of tattoos for fear of how it would appear to western eyes. Once again, tattoos were driven underground, making them more enticing to criminal elements. Unfortunately for the image of tattooed people for years to come, these men were mostly members of the Yakuza, or Japanese Mafia. This became a badge of membership for the Yakuza, although tattoos were also popular with the general population.
As generations passed, the reasons for getting tattoos evolved. Once an act of rebellion, body suits became works of art and expressions of religious faith. People started liking getting tattooed for the beauty and spirituality that being tattooed can bring to an individual. Getting tattooed can have a transformational effect on the recipient. Such is the power of tattoo. In a nation that honors a homogenous culture, it is ironic that the most colorful and elaborate tattoos developed in Japan.
By the early 18th century, European sailors found the South and Central Pacific Islands. In 1769, Captain James Cook landed in Tahiti, and the word “tattoo” entered the English language. In Tahiti, a girl’s buttocks were tattooed completely black when she reached the age of sexual maturity. Tattoos flourished and spread between the islands. In Hawaii, three dots tattooed on the tongue signified mourning.
In Borneo, an eye was tattooed on the palm of the hand to serve as a spiritual guide to see them to the next life. Samoan men wear what is called a Pe’a, a series of lines beginning at the kidneys and continuing down to the knees. The women wear a Malu, which covers them from thigh to knee. While visiting missionaries tried to wipe out the practice among the natives, the sailors adopted the practice and spread it with them through their travels.
In New Zealand, Cook found the Maori, now famous for their complete facial tattoos. These facial tattoos had very specific meanings for the Maori. Each section of the face and each design spoke of their heritage and standing in the community. When Cook returned to England in 1775, he brought with him a native named Omai.
Omai was completely tattooed, and being quite a civilized and dignified man, he changed the image of the tattoo from something only savages had to the prize of the complete European gentleman. Once again, the tattoo takes on a new form. The tattoo is so malleable and flexible that it is able to embody so many different meanings, even through the course of one person’s lifetime, his tattoos can change and grow in meaning.
European royalty began to get tattoos, not the images of the Maori facial tattoo but symbols of royalty and power from the English mindset.
Even in the 1860s in America, the art of tattoo was prevalent but still somewhat primitive. Relegated to sailors and circus sideshows, tattoos still had a foothold on American society. Only 30 years later, in 1890, Samuel O’Reilly, seeing a blueprint for Thomas Edison’s electric engraving pen, modified it, making the first electric tattoo machine. The principle is still the same basic design for today’s modern tattoo guns. This was the beginning of modern tattooing.
The Tattoo Renaissance began circa 1960. At this time, less than 500 tattoo artists were practicing in the U.S. These were mainly by military bases and amusement parks. With improved tools and techniques, it was no longer a struggle to get the ink into the skin. Now the artist became more concerned with mathematical principles of balance, harmony, and perspective.
Also, just around this time, collectors and artists began to throw off the idea that they were criminals or mentally disturbed individuals.
Today, with modern techniques and attitudes, tattoo is more accessible and acceptable than ever before. The only limit on this art now seems to be our own imaginations. Brightly colored or black and gray inks hold their shape and shade better than ever before.
As the styles become more diversified, more people, young and old, are able to find something in tattoo that appeals to their own sensibilities. As we see in today’s popular culture, tattoo is the thing to do. For those who say it’s a fad, they may be right. However, it’s a fad with highs and lows that have stretched from before the beginning of man’s history to the limits of his imagination.
Bibliography:
- Arcadia. “Ancient Art – A Tattoo Timeline.” Tattoo, Feb. 1997: Issue 782.
- Michelle Delio. “The Tattoo Renaissance – A Revolution in Thought and Form.” Tattoo, May 1997: Issue 933.
- Steve Gilbert – “Tattoo History.” Tattoo, May 1998: Issue 1054.
- Alan Govenar – “Stoney Knows How – Life as a Tattoo Artist.” Tattoo Revue, January 1995: Issue 395.
- Margo DeMello – “Body Art Tattoo Gallery,” January 1997: Issue 46. Horiyoshi – Traditional Tattoo. Tattoo, Feb. 1998: Issue 102.
