The Tale of Tattoos. The Tale of Tattoos Category : July/August 2001 Published by Anonymous on Jul. 02, 2001 CUSTOMS. Mark Hawthorne, California

Transcription

1 The Tale of Tattoos Category : July/August 2001 Published by Anonymous on Jul. 02, 2001 CUSTOMS The Tale of Tattoos Mark Hawthorne, California While tattoos among sailors and motorcycle clubs might seem the most obvious to someone living in the West, many cultures, including that of the Hindus, have long regarded tattoos as essential aids in lifeand even as passports into the world beyond death. So why tattoos? What does a symbol embedded under the skin have to do with the spirit? In part, it is related to self-mortification, which has a long history in religion. Whether it's a Buddhist lama drawing a blade across his tongue, a Lakota warrior hanging for hours by page 1 / 150

2 hooks puncturing his chest or a sadhu piercing his cheeks and tongue with small spears, nearly every culture has a sect that regards physical suffering, or an apparent indifference to it, as just another step in spiritual development. Tattoos are believed to have begun as cuts in the skin to form scars, a decidedly painful process. The color, from soot or plants, came later. Anthropologists believe tattoos are part of the evolution of a tradition that views the voluntary endurance of pain as a way to tap into a primal urge for meaning and belonging. And sacred symbols, from cave paintings to mandalas, are as old as the struggle to understand our world. Tattoos are nearly as old. Archeologists have found instruments in Europe that were page 2 / 150

3 probably used for tattooing that date back as far as 40,000 years ago. In 1991, when a German couple hiking near a glacier in the Italian Alps stumbled upon the remains of a 5,300-year-old man, they discovered more than a Neolithic iceman. "Otzi," as scientists dubbed him, was frozen evidence that the practice of tattooing predated earlier tattoo discoveries by more than 1,000 years. Anthropologists speculate that Otzi's tattoos a cross on the inside of the left knee, six straight lines six incheslong above the kidneys and numerous parallel lines on the anklesmust have been personal symbols, not identification page 3 / 150

4 marks, since they would have been covered by his clothing. No one can be sure what Otzi's tattoos meant to him. Some scientists have observed the marks found on Otzi correspond to acupuncture points and speculate his tattoos show he had been treated for pain or illness. It is certainly no coincidence that acupuncture involves ritesneedles under the skinakin to the practice of tattooing. Anthropologists believe that tattoos have always had a religious and spiritual significance. page 4 / 150

5 Devotional Tattoos: Religious tattoos can be viewed with two levels of devotion: there's the ordeal of receiving the tattoo the tedious and painful process of injecting pigment into the flesh and then there's the symbolism and color of the design itself. Among the most devoutly tattooed groups page 5 / 150

6 anywhere is the community of Ramnaamis. Scattered across the Indian states of Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, this sect of untouchables found refuge from harm in their distinctive tattoos the name "Ram" repeated in Sanskrit on practically every inch of skin, even on the tongue page 6 / 150

7 and inside the lips. Ramnaamis began their extraordinary custom during the Hindu reformist movement of the 19th century when they angered the upper-caste brahmins by adopting brahminical customs. To protect themselves against the brahmins' wrath, the Ramnaamis tattooed the page 7 / 150

8 name of Lord Ram on their bodies. About 1,500 strong today, the Ramnaami community still practices this painful rite, which is as much a demonstration of devotion as a talisman against persecution. With a rich tradition and thousands of page 8 / 150

9 Deities, Hinduism itself is today the source of countless tattoo designs. Tattoos depicting popular Gods such as Siva, Ganesha and Kali or sacred symbols like "Om" adorn the flesh of Hindus and non-hindus alike. Some of the most page 9 / 150

10 elaborate tattoo patterns anywhere are on the women of the Ribari tribe of Kutch, the very region in northwest India just devastated by an earthquake. It is one of the places to which the Pandavas were exiled during the Mahabharata. The page 10 / 150

11 members of the nomadic Ribari tribe live as their ancestors did; their tattoos being tangible symbols of the people's strong spirit and concern with faith and survival. Today, many people page 11 / 150

12 choose a particular design not because of its power or religious significance, but because they simply like the look of it. Tattoos are borrowed from other traditions as well, including Native page 12 / 150

13 American and Buddhist. These tattoos for fashion, of course, should not be regarded as religious and are often offensive to those who understand that spirituality is not simply a decoration. page 13 / 150

14 And beware of getting a tattoo designed in an unfamiliar language. Last year a man in England had a tattoo artist inscribe his wife's name on his arm in Hindi. Local Hindi speakers spotted the tattoo page 14 / 150

15 and informed the man there was a spelling error. Tattoos and the page 15 / 150

16 afterlife: As cultures focused more on spiritual issues, tattoos took on an active function, especially in the Pacific Islands and North page 16 / 150

17 America. The Maoris believed that a spirit would recognize their elaborate facial tattoos after their death and give them the vision to find their way page 17 / 150

18 to the next world. The Dayak tribes of Borneo thought their hand tattoos would illuminate the darkness of the afterlife as the soul searched page 18 / 150

19 for the River of the Dead. Maligang, the spirit guarding the river, would check for the tattoo, which earned the soul the right to cross page 19 / 150

20 the river. This is similar to the Lakota tradition, which teaches that the soul of the dead starts its journey to the other world on the starry spirit page 20 / 150

21 road (Milky Way). Along the path, it will pass Owl Woman, who inspects it for the tattoo. If she can't find it, she prevents the soul's passage. page 21 / 150

22 The Inuits of Alaska also tattooed themselves in preparation for death rituals. Small dots were applied to the pallbearer at page 22 / 150

23 various joints along the body to protect against evil spirits. Some believe page 23 / 150

24 that the soul resembles the body that houses it and retains this appearance even after death, including page 24 / 150

25 the person's tattoos. In other cultures it is believed that death changes the person's appearance so drastically that page 25 / 150

26 your tattoos were the only form of identification that will be left to you. Without tattoos you are doomed to page 26 / 150

27 wander forever in the afterworld. "In all ancient societies religion and page 27 / 150

28 ritual were a part of every activity," says Steve Gilbert, author of Tattoo History: A Source Book (New York: page 28 / 150

29 Juno Books, 2000). "Religion was an integral part of all daily activities, so it was not that tattooing in page 29 / 150

30 and of itself was religious, but all activity was defined, controlled and limited by taboos, and overseen by page 30 / 150

31 spirits. Tattooing must have served as a symbolic connection between the individual, the group and the page 31 / 150

32 Gods. I think it was especially potent in this regard because of the letting of blood and the permanent page 32 / 150

33 changing of the body. The designs, of course, were strictly prescribed by tradition." page 33 / 150

34 Tattoos for Protection: Many cultures regard tattoos as protective amulets, and such magical page 34 / 150

35 applications are closely linked to religious beliefs. Ainu women in Japan, for page 35 / 150

36 instance, tattoo themselves with images of their Goddess, which is able page 36 / 150

37 to repel evil spirits and thus protect from disease. Iraqis commonly tattoo a dot at page 37 / 150

38 the end of a child's nose to guard against illness. A tattoo of Hanuman is used to page 38 / 150

39 relieve pain among Hindus. Aborigines in Australia believe tattoos on page 39 / 150

40 their arms allow them to dodge boomerangs. Soldiers in Burma tattoo their thighs to page 40 / 150

41 be invulnerable in war, and Cambodian men cover themselves in tattoos to page 41 / 150

42 make themselves impervious to harm, even from bullets. The use of tattoos in page 42 / 150

43 Cambodia may have come centuries ago from Indian settlers who practiced page 43 / 150

44 Vedic rituals. Sacred Buddhist texts are a page 44 / 150

45 favorite tattoo in Thailand, where they are believed to have magical page 45 / 150

46 power. In an initiation rite known as the "Krob Kru," the devotee lights incense and page 46 / 150

47 prays in preparation. The tattoo artist uses a special rod to inscribe the sacred text page 47 / 150

48 on the chest, back or arms. A shaman then tests the tattoo's potency by giving each page 48 / 150

49 tattoo three or four strong swipes of a sword. Tattoo recipients often enter a state of page 49 / 150

50 ecstasy or burst into violent trances. page 50 / 150

51 The snake clan of Pakokku, Burma, has made a science of protection page 51 / 150

52 tattoos. For centuries these Buddhist snake handlers have page 52 / 150

53 tattooed their bodies to protect themselves against the vipers and cobras that page 53 / 150

54 share their town. But they hold these deadly snakes in high esteem: page 54 / 150

55 Buddhist legend tells of a giant cobra sheltering a sleeping page 55 / 150

56 Lord Buddha during a rainstorm, and there is even a snake page 56 / 150

57 pagoda in nearby Mandalay. The town also regards the snake page 57 / 150

58 as its fertility God. Currently about a dozen members page 58 / 150

59 strong, the snake clan of Pakokku claims that no member has ever page 59 / 150

60 been killed by a snake no small feat considering these men page 60 / 150

61 are responsible for capturing snakes by hand and page 61 / 150

62 releasing them unharmed miles from town. Their secret is the page 62 / 150

63 tattoo. Each member undergoes weekly tattooing, a ritual that page 63 / 150

64 involves prayer, a very large metal needle and black ink page 64 / 150

65 mixed with snake venom. The venom, collected from snakes page 65 / 150

66 found in town, acts as an inoculation against snakebite. page 66 / 150

67 Arms, legs, chest, back, face and even the scalp are tattooed page 67 / 150

68 with Buddhist symbols, each mixed with venom cobra page 68 / 150

69 venom for tattoos on the upper body, viper venom for the lower page 69 / 150

70 body to help build the bearer's antibodies. page 70 / 150

71 The Hawaiians are prominent among peoples page 71 / 150

72 who have specific tattoo Gods. Called 'aumakua, page 72 / 150

73 these family or personal deities can be protective page 73 / 150

74 when properly honored, or destructive if neglected. page 74 / 150

75 Like Native American spirit guides, the 'aumakua can take page 75 / 150

76 the form of animals, inanimate objects or even natural page 76 / 150

77 phenomena, like lightning and thunder. Many page 77 / 150

78 Hawaiians adorn themselves with special tattoos honoring page 78 / 150

79 their 'aumakua. A tattooed row of dots around the ankle, for page 79 / 150

80 example, is considered a charm against sharks thanks to page 80 / 150

81 an ancient story in which a woman swimming in the page 81 / 150

82 ocean was bitten by a shark, her 'aumakua. When the woman page 82 / 150

83 cried out, the shark let go, saying, "I will not make that page 83 / 150

84 mistake again, for I see the marks on your ankle." In Hawaii, page 84 / 150

85 the images of the tattoo Gods are kept in the places of tattoo page 85 / 150

86 priests. Each tattoo session begins with a prayer to the tattoo page 86 / 150

87 Gods that the operation might not cause harm, that page 87 / 150

88 the wounds might heal soon and that the designs might be page 88 / 150

89 handsome. Like most of the page 89 / 150

90 Pacific Islands, Samoa also has a rich tattoo tradition. page 90 / 150

91 "In ancient Samoa, tattooing played an important role in both page 91 / 150

92 religious ritual and warfare," writes Gilbert. "The tattoo page 92 / 150

93 artist held a hereditary and privileged position. page 93 / 150

94 He customaril y tattooed young men in groups of six to page 94 / 150

95 eight, during a ceremony attended by friends and page 95 / 150

96 relatives who participate d in special prayers and page 96 / 150

97 celebration s associated with the tattooing ritual." The page 97 / 150

98 tattoos of Pacific Island natives made an impact on page 98 / 150

99 English explorers notably those who sailed with Captain page 99 / 150

100 Cook late in the 18th century and they returned home with page 100 / 150

101 bold new designs and helped resurrect the tattoo art in page 101 / 150

102 Europe. Western Tattoos page 102 / 150

103 Dispite tattoo's growing popularity, one of a page 103 / 150

104 mother's worst nightmare s remains her page 104 / 150

105 15-year-ol d daughter coming home one page 105 / 150

106 day and saying, "Hi mom, check out my new page 106 / 150

107 tattoo." Througho ut American and page 107 / 150

108 European history, tattoos have mostly page 108 / 150

109 been considere d just for sailors, criminals page 109 / 150

110 and, most recently, gangs. One exeption page 110 / 150

111 was a short vogue in the English page 111 / 150

112 upper classes in the late 1800s. Another page 112 / 150

113 revival started in the 1990s, bringing page 113 / 150

114 back interest in both traditional and page 114 / 150

115 nontraditi onal tattooing for both ethnic page 115 / 150

116 groups and tattoo fans. page 116 / 150

117 Temporar y Tattoos page 117 / 150

118 Though tattoos are by definition painful page 118 / 150

119 (the word comes from the Tahitian page 119 / 150

120 word "tatau," which was the sound page 120 / 150

121 their tattooing instrume nts made), page 121 / 150

122 some tattoos are applied without page 122 / 150

123 pain and last only a short time. A popular page 123 / 150

124 tattoo art in India is mehendi, a plant-bas page 124 / 150

125 ed temporar y tattoo involving thin lines page 125 / 150

126 for lacy, floral and paisley patterns covering page 126 / 150

127 entire hands, forearms, feet and page 127 / 150

128 shins. In Hindu weddings the bride often page 128 / 150

129 decorate s her palms and feet, believing page 129 / 150

130 that the slower the color fades away, page 130 / 150

131 the more she is loved by her husband. page 131 / 150

132 Archaeol ogists have discover ed page 132 / 150

133 mehendi orhenna on the hair and nails of page 133 / 150

134 Egyptian mummie s. There is evidence page 134 / 150

135 that the Neolithic people of Catal Huyuk page 135 / 150

136 (in central Turkey) used hennain page 136 / 150

137 the 7th century BCE to adorn their page 137 / 150

138 hands in connecti on with their fertility page 138 / 150

139 Goddess. Their Goddess worship was the page 139 / 150

140 predeces sor to the religions in the page 140 / 150

141 ancient Middle East, and henna seems to page 141 / 150

142 have been used througho ut this page 142 / 150

143 region. After 1500, henna is depicted page 143 / 150

144 on women in paintings in India page 144 / 150

145 and is also present on Kali and page 145 / 150

146 other Hindu Deities. The first known page 146 / 150

147 Indian queen to have been painted page 147 / 150

148 with the paste was Mumtaz Mahal, page 148 / 150

149 the wife of Emperor Shah Jahan, for page 149 / 150

150 whom the Taj Mahal was built. page 150 / 150