Kate Garrett
Make-up Exploration
Tattooing.
History.
Origins or the word.
The word "tattoo" is believed to have originated in Polynesia from tatau, which means "to mark." (Guynup, 2004)
How were they first created?
Some of the earliest tattoos were cuts with ash rubbed into them, which formed blackened scars. (Guynup, 2004) Many people argue that these were discovered by accident, that they rubbed the ash into the wound to heal it not know it would leave a permenant mark.
Development now allows tattoo's to be made in a more higenic and safe manor using specialised ink and tatttoo guns.
Time line - Tattoo in different cultures.
The evidence of the first tattoo's were discoverd in 1991 when ‘ötzi the ice man’ was discovered frozen solid in mountains between Austria and Italy. His body to this day is still he best preserved body from that period of time.
His body has 61 tattoos that were then divided into 19 clusters:
* a cross on the inside of the left knee,
* six straight lines 15 centimeters long placed above the kidneys
* Other parallel lines by the ankles.
Meaning?
What the placement of his tattoos tells us is that they used tattooing as a therapeutic treatment, it is believe that it was for arthritis. His tattoos were created by rubbing charcoal into insisions.
Bronze Age Tattoos.
Image 13.0 - Parallel line tattoos
Image 13.1 - Wrist tattoos
Pazyryk Culture.
In the high altai mountains of western and southern siberia mummies were found that date back to 2400 years ago with tattoos on their body respresenting a wide variety of animals. However there were both mythological and real animals. Those that were mythologyical are believe to have had a magical meaning behind them.
Meaning?
In this culture, and from the anlysis of the mummies, it is believes that the tattoos wereused in this culture to show the individuals status.
Bodies found from the early XI dynasty show the art tattooing. In 1891 the mummified remains of amunet, a priestess of the goddess hathor, who lived between 2160 BC and 1994 BC. She showed many lines arranged in geometric shapes/patterns and groupings of dots all over her body. Many of the
Meaning?
As these were found aon a womens bofy this means they are linked to ritualistic practice.
How they helped spread the tattooing culture?
Egyptians spread the practice of tattooing throughout the world, by 2,000 BC it had stretched out all the way to southeast asia, then eventually it was taken over to Janpan.
Eyptian Culture.
There are many figurines that have been found from 3,000BC that have engraced faces that represent tattoos the figurines were place in the tombs to help the dead move over.
Meaning?
Because they were used to help the dead pass they are blieved to have a religious and/or magical symbolism.
Body tattooing.
Japanese when adorned their body used it mostly for decorativepurpose, as opposed to magical ones. The classic japanese tattoo is a full body.
Tattoo Artists:
the horis - were classes as the masters. they were known for their use of colors, the perspective with a big imaginative design.
In Japan.
Polynesia.
Meaning?
They believe that a person's mana, their spiritual power or life force, is displayed through their tattoo. They would, eventually, have covered their entire bodies with elaborate geometrical designs.
Hiearcey in the culture though tattooing.
In samoa, the tradition of applying tattoo, or ‘tatau’, by hand, has long been defined by rank and title, with chiefs and their assistants, descending from notable families in the proper birth order.(Designboom, 2010)
Ritual Ceremonies example:
the tattooing ceremonies for young chiefs, typically conducted at the onset of puberty, were elaborate affairs and were a key part of their ascendance to a leadership role.The permanent marks left by the tattoo artists would forever celebrate their endurance and dedication to cultural traditions.(Designboom, 2010)
Exanding the tattoo culture.
The mythological origins of samoan tattooing and the extraordinary cross-cultural history of tatau has been transported to the migrant communities of new zealand, and later disseminated into various international subcultures from auckland to the netherlands.(Designboom, 2010)
The hawaiian people had their traditional tattoo art, known as ‘kakau’. it served them not only for ornamentation and distinction, but to guard their health and spiritual well-being. Intricate patterns, mimicking woven reeds or other natural forms,graced men's arms, legs, torso and face.women were generally tattooed on the hand, fingers, wrists and sometimes on their tongue.(Designboom, 2010)
Religious influences on tattoos.
The arrival of western missionaries forced this unique art form into decline as tattooing has been discouraged or forbidden by most christian churches throughout history.(Designboom, 2010)
Hawaiian Culture.
Image 13.2- Samoan Tattoo
Image 13.3 - Hawaiian lady with tattoos
The Maori (New Zealand).
The Maori.
Their tattoo, called ‘moko’, reflected their refined artistry - using their woodcarving skills to carve skin.(Designboom, 2010)
Meaning?
the full-face moko was a mark of distinction, which communicated their status, lines of descent and tribal affiliations. it recalled their wearer's exploits in war and other great events of their life.(Designboom, 2010)
Image 13.4 - Maori Men with facial tattooing
Image 13.5 - Maori Cheifs
Indonesisa.
Borneo, in Indonsesia, is one of the only places still practasing traditional tribal tattooing. Because they have had very little contact with the world outside their culture they have been able to keep most ways of their traditional life style alive.
Influencing the Weatern world.
Their designs have travelled worldwide and it forms the basis of what the western people call ‘tribal tattoos’.
Ancient Greece and Rome.
Image 13.6 - Japanese Body tattoo suit
Greeks learnt tattooing from the persians. Their woman were fascinated by the idea of tattoos as exotic beauty marks.(Designboom, 2010)Then the romans leanrt from the greeks.
What did their tattooing represent?
roman writers such as virgil, seneca, and galenus reported that many slaves and criminals were tattooed. A legal inscription from ephesus indicates that during the early roman empire all slaves exported to asia were tattooed with the words ‘tax paid’.
Greeks and romans also used tattooing as a punishment. Early in the fourth century, when constantine became roman emperor and rescinded the prohibition on christianity, he also banned tattooing on face, which was common for convicts, soldiers, and gladiators.
Constantine believed that the human face was a representation of the image of god and should not be disfigured or defiled.(Designboom, 2010)
The patterns that are assosiated with this culture are (Designboom, 2010):
* spirals are very common, and they can be single,doubled or tripled.
* knotwork is probably the most recognized form of celtic art, with lines forming complex braids which then weave across themselves.
* step or key patterns, like those found in early labyrinth designs, are seen both in simple borders and full complex mazes.(Designboom, 2010)
Meaning?
These choices of designs are normally to represent a journey the beholder has taken in life.
Celtic Culture.
Central and South America.
16th century spanish accounts of mayan tattooing in mexico and central america reveal tattoos to be a sign of courage.
When cortez and his conquistadors arrived on the coast of mexico in 1519 they were horrified to discover that the natives not only worshipped devils in the form of statues and idols,but had somehow managed to imprint indelible images of these idols on their skin. The spaniards, who had never heard of tattooing, recognized it at once as the work of satan.
The sixteenth century spanish historians who chronicled the adventures of cortez and his conquistadors reported that tattooing was widely practiced by the natives of central America.
(Designboom, 2010)
North America.
Tattooing was very popluar with native amaericans.
Among the chickasaw, outstanding warriors were recognised by their tattoos. Among the ontario iroquoians, elaborate tattoos reflected high status. In north-west america,
inuit women's chins were tattooed to indicate marital status and group identity.(Designboom, 2010)
The first permanent tattoo shop in new york city was settled up in 1846 and began a tradition by tattooing military servicemen from both sides of the civil war. (Designboom, 2010)
Historical note: samuel o'reilly invented the electric tattooing machine in 1891.(Designboom, 2010)
Religous influences(Designboom, 2010):
During the time of the old testament, much of the pagan world was practicing the art of tattooing as a means of deity worship. A passage in leviticus reads:
‘ye shall not make any cuttings on your flesh for the dead nor
print any marks upon you’. (19:28)
This has been cited as biblical authority to support the church's position. biblical scholar m.w. thomson suggests, however, that moses favored tattoos. moses introduced tattoos as a way to commemorate the deliverance of the jews from slavery in egypt.
Middle east.
Image 13.7 - Celtic Knot
Image 13.8 - Drawing of what tattooing on tribal women would have looked like.
Image 13.9 - The Yuma women tattooed their chin for a easy passing to the after life.
English Culture.
England first discovered tattoos when polynesians were bought back to england after exploring they were displayed in fairs and museums as an attratction for people too look at.
Sailor tattoo origin.
Tattooing then became a tradition for the british navy when Captin Cook returned from his voyages. By the middle of the 18th century most british ports had at least one professional tattoo artist in residence.(Designboom, 2010)
Royalty tattooing.
in 1862, the prince of wales, later to become king edward VII, received his first tattoo - a jerusalem cross - on his arm. He started a tattoo fad among the aristocracy when he was tattooed before ascending to the throne. In 1882, his sons, the duke of clarence and the duke of york were tattooed by the japanese master tattooist, hori chiyo. (Designboom, 2010)
French Culture.
In the 18th century, many french sailors returning from voyages in the south pacific had been tattooed. In 1861, french naval surgeon, maurice berchon, published a study on the medical complications of tattooing. After this, the navy and army banned tattooing within their ranks.(Designboom, 2010)
Tattoos in different cultures and the stigma surrounding them.
In the western world tattoos are a very popular way for people to express their individuality and show other who they are, a form of identifying oneself.
While they celebrate individuality, they still identify their wearers as members
of a tribe—the community of those who celebrate body art.(Handwerk, 2002)
In the past 20 years, in perticulally, tattoos have become a more acceptable part of mainstream culture loosing the negative attitudes surrounding it, originally it has been used to idenitfy a person of unsavoury character such as criminals or even further in the past sailors/pirates. During the earlier days of tattooing places that offered it tended to be seedy unsanitized looking places which would have had an impact on who had tattoos and the stigma that surroudning this would have been a factor towards the negative opinions. Then it moved on to society branding tattoos to the 'bad girl/boy image' and now it has been said by many as a why not? It's our bodies we should express and idenify ourselves in a way we want to. This demonstrates a brief outline to how the idenitiy of tattoos has evolved through cultures to becoming a part of the mainstream society. Because of this chnage in acceptance we now see all classes with them, Doctors, lawyers, shop assistants, cleaners etc
Sailors.
* The tattoos always looked very basic and flat due to the very basic technique to make them at the time.
* Very cartoonish feel/look to them
* Typical tattoos included flower, hearts, mermaids, anchors/ships, birds and names.
* They normally were to mark a event on their vogage or patriotism.
* It was also rummored they had them to warn off bad luck, to keep them safe out at sea.
Criminals.
* In prision tattoos are used to show gang membership
* It can also be to represent their time spent inside, skills and achomplisments
* Different designed are assosiated with coded meanings however they are not widely recognised from different countries due to their complex nature
* Made with makeshift equipment, so they are not very neat or percise
Circus.
* circus employed fully tattooed people to use as an attraction. They were either used as a sideshow exhibit or they preformed simple tricks such as juggling
* Tattooed men and women were used for over 70 years in this indusrty
The three catergories associated with tattoos.
Image 13.10 - Traditional sailor tattoos.
Image 13.11 - Modern day take on sailors tattoo.
Perceptions of those with tattoos.
Image 13.12 - Tattooed women from a german circus.
Image 13.13 - Cobweb, associated with a lengthy jail sentance