Beginning
The word tattoo comes from the Tahitian "tatu"
which means "to mark something". It is arguably claimed
that tattooing has existed since 12,000 years BC. The purpose of tattooing
has varies from culture to culture and its place on the time line.
But there are commonalties that prevail form the earliest known tattoos
to those being done on college students on Telegraph Ave. in Berkeley.
Tattoos have always had an important role in ritual and tradition.
In Borneo, women tattooed their symbols on their forearm indicating
their particular skill. If a woman wore a symbol indicating she was
a skilled weaver, her status as prime marriageable material was increased.
Tattoos around the wrist and fingers were believed to ward away illness.
Throughout history tattoos have signified membership in a clan or
society. Even today groups like the Hells Angels tattoo their particular
group symbol. TV and movies have used the idea of a tattoo indication
membership in a secret society numerous times. It has been believed
that the wearer of an image calls the spirit of that image. The ferocity
of a tiger would belong to the tattooed person. That tradition holds
true today shown by the proliferation of images of tigers, snakes,
and bird of prey.
In recorded history, the earliest tattoos can be found in Egypt during
the time of the construction of the great pyramids (It undoubtedly
started much earlier). When the Egyptians expanded their empire, the
art of tattooing spread as well. The civilizations of Crete, Greece,
Persia, and Arabia picked up and expanded the art form. Around 2000
BC tattooing spread to China.
Greeks
The Greeks used tattooing for communication
among spies. Markings identified the spies and showed their rank. Romans
marked criminals and slaves. This practice is still carried on today.
The Ainu people of western Asia used tattooing to show social status.
Girls coming of age were marked to announce their place in society,
as were the married women. The Ainu are noted for introducing tattoos
to Japan where it developed into a religious and ceremonial rite. In
Borneo, women were the tattooists. It was a cultural tradition. They
produced designs indicating the owners station in life and the tribe
he belonged to. Kayan women had delicate arm tattoos which looked like
lacy gloves. Dayak warriors who had "taken a head" had tattoos
on their hands. The tattoos garnered respect and assured the owners
status for life. Polynesians developed tattoos to mark tribal communities,
families, and rank. They brought their art to New Zealand and developed
a facial style of tattooing called Moko which is still being used today.
There is evidence that the Mayan, Incas, and Aztecs used tattooing in
the rituals. Even the isolated tribes in Alaska practiced tattooing,
their style indicating it was learned from the Ainu.
In the west, early Britons used tattoos in ceremonies. The Danes, Norse,
and Saxons tattooed family crests (a tradition still practiced today).
In 787 AD, Pope Hadrian banned tattooing. It still thrived in Britain
until the Norman Invasion of 1066. The Normans disdained tattooing.
It disappeared from Western culture from the 12th to the 16th centuries.
Japanese
While tattooing diminished in the west, it thrived in Japan. At first,
tattoos were used to mark criminals. First offenses were marked with
a line across the forehead. A second crime was marked by adding an arch.
A third offense was marked by another line. Together these marks formed
the Japanese character for "dog". It appears this was the
original "Three strikes your out" law. In time, the Japanese
escalated the tattoo to an aesthetic art form. The Japanese body suit
originated around 1700 as a reaction to strict laws concerning conspicuous
consumption. Only royalty were allowed to wear ornate clothing. As a
result of this, the middle class adorned themselves with elaborate full
body tattoos. A highly tattooed person wearing only a loin cloth was
considered well dressed, but only in the privacy of their own home.
William Dampher is responsible for re-introducing tattooing to the west.
He was a sailor and explorer who traveled the South Seas. In 1691 he
brought to London a heavily tattooed Polynesian named Prince Giolo,
Known as the Painted Prince. He was put on exhibition , a money making
attraction, and became the rage of London. It had been 600 years since
tattoos had been seen in Europe and it would be another 100 years before
tattooing would make it mark in the West.
Captain Cook
In the late 1700s, Captain Cook made several trips to the South Pacific.
The people of London welcomed his stories and were anxious to see the
art and artifacts he brought back. Returning form one of this trips,
he brought a heavily tattooed Polynesian named Omai. He was a sensation
in London. Soon, the upper class were getting small tattoos in discreet
places. For a short time tattooing became a fad.
What kept tattooing from becoming more widespread was its slow and painstaking
procedure. Each puncture of the skin was done by hand the ink was applied.
In 1891, Samuel O'Rtiely patented the first electric tattooing machine.
It was based on Edison's electric pen which punctured paper with a needle
point. The basic design with moving coils, a tube and a needle bar,
are the components of today's tattoo gun. The electric tattoo machine
allowed anyone to obtain a reasonably priced, and readily available
tattoo. As the average person could easily get a tattoo, the upper classes
turned away from it.
19th Century
By the turn of the century, tattooing had lost a great deal of credibility.
Tattooists worked the sleazier sections of town. Heavily tattooed people
traveled with circuses and "freak Shows". Betty Brodbent traveled
with Ringling Brothers Circus in the 1930s and was a star attraction
for years.
The cultural view of tattooing was so poor for most of the century that
tattooing went underground. Few were accepted into the secret society
of artists and there were no schools to study the craft. There were
no magazines or associations. Tattoo suppliers rarely advertised their
products. One had to learn through the scuttlebutt where to go and who
to see for quality tattoos. |
Tattoo History