History of Tattoos/Body Art - Research Paper Example

History of Tattoos and Body Piercing Beginning in pre-historic times, the practice of tattooing has been used as a means of decorating the body or denoting information important to the individual. The art has been used on the bodies of tribe members, gang members, military members and other individuals in every culture throughout the world. One of the themes that emerge from this list is the concept of the group and the concept of belonging. Whether executed as a sign of compliance or a sign of defiance, the tattoo has typically been associated with some kind of socially relevant meaning. Originating perhaps as significant identification or ranking systems and evolving through time to take on a variety of meanings and approaches, today’s artistic approach to the tattoo can be as obscure and complex as some of the designs are themselves. Tattoos are hardly a recent phenomenon. This form of body art has been in existence for at least 5000 years and the practice likely dates to the very beginnings of mankind. The celebrated finding of the Iceman in 1991 provided evidence that people have tattooed themselves for 5,300 years, the Iceman’s age. “Carbon 14 dating done on the bones and tissue of the Iceman proved that he had died some 5,300 years ago.” (Wiman-Rudzinski). This prehistoric man was adorned with blue-tinted markings that covered much of his fingers. Innsbruck University Professor Konrad Spindler hypothesized that his tattoos were either for decorative purposes or were thought to have mystical powers by the Iceman and his tribe to ward off sickness, relieve pain, bring luck in the hunt, etc. Another possibility is that the tattoos specified his social position within the group. Whatever the reason, the Iceman wore 58 tattoos which were astonishingly well preserved for being that old. The tattoos likely were applied with charcoal and consisted of simple lines and spots. Interestingly, the Iceman also had worn an earring (Wiman-Rudzinski). In addition to tattoos, people have evidently worn earrings for more than 5000 years as well. Earrings remain the most popular type of body piercing. Nose-rings have been known to exist for 4000 years with origins in the Middle-East but little evidence that this was practiced elsewhere until the Sixteenth Century when it surfaced in India.  Mayan and Aztec High Priests pierced their tongues for thousands of years in rituals designed to better facilitate communication with the gods.  Nipple piercing is known to have been practiced by Central American natives for an untold number of centuries for a variety of reasons including as a symbol of transitioning into manhood.  Julius Caesar’s Roman honour-guard pierced their nipples to symbolize unity, strength and pride. Women in the Victorian age of the late 1800’s pierced their nipples, some going as far as piercing both then hanging chains off the rings connecting one with the other. They considered this practice a demonstration of glamour. Piercing the navel dates back to the ancient Egyptians but only those of royalty were permitted to wear naval rings.  The penalty for a person not of the Pharaohs family to have their naval pieced was severe. “Peasants who broke the rule were sentenced to death.  On the other hand if a peasant girl was born with the perfect belly button she was sometimes permitted to have it pierced, therefore moving her social status up the ladder” (Coyle, 2008 pg. 3 para. 3). Persons of the highest social status in ancient Briton were commonly tattooed as were ancient Romans. One Roman tribe in Northern Italy was named ‘Picti’ which translated means ‘the painted people.’ However, among most Romans and Greeks as well, tattoos were called ‘stigmata,’ and were generally associated with being marked as someone’s property. The word ‘stigma’ was derived from this usage. Stigmata were also common in some religious cults of that time. Eventually, being tattooed became popular with Roman soldiers but when Constantine, the first Christian Emperor of Rome, took the throne as Emperor in the Fourth Century, this practice abruptly ended. He decreed that to ‘disfigure that made in God's image’ was sinful. Several Native Americans tribes, the Cree in particular are known to have tattoos on both their body and face. Facial tattoos were discovered on the 500 year-old mummified remains of six Inuit women of Greenland (Lineberry, 2007 pg. 4, para. 1). Christian soldiers during the Eleventh and Twelfth Century Crusades were tattooed with the Jerusalem cross so if they died they would be given a ‘proper Christian burial’ (Franklin-Barbajosa, 2004 pg. 1, para. 5). Japanese men began adorning their bodies with elaborate tattoos in the late A.D. 3rd century. The first known popularisation of the art of tattoo is said to have evolved in Japan in what is now known as the Edo period, which spanned almost three hundred years beginning in the early 1600’s. “Although nowadays tattoo conventions are common both in Japan and in the West, the fact that in Edo such conventions were taking place over 150 years ago is an indicator of the long and rich history of traditional Japanese tattoos.” (Kunihiro, 2011) During this period in time, the country was experiencing a period of prosperity and national stability. With the majority of the population having their immediate needs fulfilled through agriculture and trade, these individuals were free to turn their attention to the development of the arts and crafts products of the nation, which also flourished at this time. Increasingly, villages and towns came to rely on these artistic pursuits, quickly establishing early incarnations of cultural and leisure industries even in remote areas. It was during this period of prosperity that tattooing made its way into modern culture. Oppressive laws in Japan initiated the concept of adorning the body with beautiful designs, a motive for body art that continues today. “Restricted from wearing the ornate kimonos that adorned royalty and the elite, outraged merchants and the lower classes rebelled by wearing tattooed body suits. The ‘yakuza,’ the Japanese gangster class, embraced the body suits (Franklin-Barbajosa, 2004 pg 1, para. 10). Their tattoos tend to go well beyond the simple word of ‘tattoo.’ “Theirs are elaborate body murals that often cover the entire torso, front and back, as well as the arms to below the elbow and the legs to mid-calf. Naked, a fully tattooed yakuza looks like he’s wearing long underwear” (Bruno, 2007 pg. 1, para. 10). Images used vary widely, continuing in the old traditions of using symbols and scenes of folklore and legend as a means of adopting the characteristics and values these scenes represent. These include dragons, flowers, landscapes, seascapes, and abstract symbols and designs. “The application of these extensive tattoos is painful and can take hundreds of hours, but the process is considered a test of a man’s mettle” (Bruno, 2007 pg. 1, para. 10). The pain withstood displays the members’ faith to the clan and is a common initiation ritual. By the mid 1800’s, the western industrial revolution was well underway and itself spurred a huge drive for development and expansion, primarily toward the east from which many luxury items were brought. Essentially, Japan was experiencing the same kind of rise of the middle class that was developing in countries such as England and America during this period. Japanese society could be divided into four or less clearly defined social classes. The Samurai warriors comprised the upper and dominant class, followed by peasants, artisans and merchants in the lower levels. The new economy led to increase in inflation rates and widened the gap between the upper class wealthy and the destitute poor. (Smitha, 2003) In this chaotic, constantly shifting society, the tattoo became a symbol of the polarisation developing between the old and new, the peasant and the upper class. To identify themselves and make it clear to others who they were, each faction began to adorn themselves with their respective markings through the medium of the tattoo. As this practice developed, other classes also began adopting the practice, although these were still typically of the lower, or floating, classes. Ordinary workers, sailors and merchants were eager to express their own identity, association and pride and began decorating their chests, shoulders and backs with ornate and eccentric designs inspired by religious beliefs and superstitious ideas. By tattooing images from the folkloric woodcuts of Kuniyoshi, these lower class individuals were identifying themselves with the ideals and characteristics of that particular hero or story. The fire fighters of this period present an appropriate example of the close connection that existed between the tattoo and the established belief systems of those who wore them. Fire fighters commonly had dragons tattooed upon their skin. There were two important elements to consider within this practice. The pain associated with acquiring the tattoo, particularly as it was done during this period in time (and is still done in specific areas today), was recognized as a sacrifice to the spirits, a sort of ‘paying dues’ for past or future wrongs as the individual undergoes the transformation from their old self to the new definitions they have associated with the tattoo. (Kunihiro, 2011) Europeans were reintroduced to tattoos when sailors from England, Spain, The Netherlands and France encountered tattooed natives of the South Pacific islands during the age of exploration (1500’s -1700’s). In these and other previously undiscovered cultures of the world, tattoos were a significant element of their society. “The elaborate tattoos of the Polynesian cultures are thought to have developed over millennia, featuring highly elaborate geometric designs, which in many cases can cover the whole body” (Lineberry, 2007 pg. 4, para. 5). The name ‘tattoo’ was coined by the sailors of Englishman James Cook’s 1769 voyage to Tahiti where the native’s word ‘tattau,’ meaning ‘to strike,’ or ‘to mark,’ became their word for body art. This mangled translation spread throughout the ‘western,’ ‘civilized’ world eventually transforming from a slang term to a proper word. “The ‘marks’ became fashionable among Europeans, particularly so in the case of men such as sailors and coal-miners, with both professions which carried serious risks and presumably explaining the almost amulet-like use of anchors or miner’s lamp tattoos on the men’s forearms” (Lineberry, 2007 pg. 4, para. 6). The concept of scarification originated from the Maori culture of New Zealand. Scarification involves the cutting of the skin, leaving open wounds, in which ink or ash are placed to leave dark coloured scars. “Until the 1870s, Maori men of New Zealand etched deep tattoos over their entire faces. Patterns were chiselled into the skin to create parallel ridges and grooves, much like designs cut into wood. This painful process created raised tattoos that made Maori men look fierce in battle and attractive to women. Since no two patterns were alike, the raised facial tattoos also marked identity” (Guynup 2004 p. 1, para. 2). It is an extremely painful process which probably explains its subservience to tattoos across most cultures. As the above quotes suggest though, scarification is becoming more and more popular in the modern world, perhaps because most of the stigma has disappeared around tattoos, with an estimated 36 percent of 25-29 year olds having one or more tattoos in America and the reduced permanence of tattoos as compared to the permanence of scarification (Guynup 2004 pg. 1, para. 3). While people today use tattoos to set themselves aside from everyone else – to stand out – it was historically performed as initiation into tribes and communities, to be inclusive. With so many people choosing to get tattoos, it is understandable that there are those who want to take this expression to another level. As the younger generations become surprised to find that the tattoo once had a sinister image and find no such association within their own minds, they must look to stronger, more permanent and less dominant means of expressing those thoughts and attitudes that were once characterized by the tattoo which has ushered in a new era of body piercing in the western culture. The popularity of the tattoo has not only created businesses, but also artists-folk, popular and fine and, regardless of one’s opinion on them, the skill required and the craftsmanship handed down through generations and across national boundaries is undeniable. While the art is becoming more main-stream, this is not necessarily a bad thing. Tattoo artists are passionate and proud of their work, and not only have jobs been created, but a plethora of new talent has been challenged to carry the evolution of the art further still. The art of tattoos began more than 5000 years ago and is growing in popularity today. Likely, humankind will still be wearing tattoos 5000 years from now. Works Cited Bruno, Anthony. “Origins and Traditions.” Gangsters and Outlaws. Court TV. (2007). April 23, 2011 Coyle, David. “Body Piercing, A brief history” (2008). April 23, 2011 Lineberry, Cate. “Tattoos” ‘The Ancient and Mysterious History’ Smithsonian.com (January 1, 2007). April 23, 2011 Franklin-Barbajosa, Cassandra. “Tattoo: Pigments of Imagination” National Geographic.com (December, 2004). April 23, 2011 Guynup, Sharon. “Scarification: Ancient Body Art Leaving New Marks.” National Geographic. (July, 2004). April 23, 2011 < http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/07/0728_040728_tvtabooscars.html> Kunihiro, Shimada “Brief History of the Japanese Tattoo” Japan Tattoo Institute (March, 2011) April 23, 2011 Smitha, Frank E. (2003). “Japan from Tokugawa to Meiji.” MacroHistory. April 23, 2011 < http://www.fsmitha.com/h3/h48japan.htm> Wiman-Rudzinski, Georgina. “The history of tattoos: before the birth of Christ” (2002). April 23, 2011 Read More