A Brief History of Tattoos

Tattooing has been a part of human society for thousands of years and can be found among ancient and native cultures throughout the world. The earliest tattoo to date was found on the famous "Iceman" mummy. Estimated to have lived around 3300 BC and discovered in 1991 in the northern Italian Alps, the mummy revealed approximately 57 tattoos on its ankles, back of the knees and lower back. It is believed that these tattoos were for medicinal purposes, possibly a form of ancient acupuncture.

Tattoos have also been found on Egyptian mummies (though only female) and are evidenced in many cultures worldwide, including Greek, Ainu, Mayan, Aztec, Norse and Saxon. Tattooing in Asia is thousands of years old.

Polynesians have one of the richest tattooing cultures in the world. The word tattoo comes from Tahitian word "tatu" which means "to mark something." The history of the tattoo in the Polynesian culture reaches back over two thousand years, and Polynesian tattoos are considered among the most detailed and complex. For Polynesians, tattooing is considered spiritual and sometimes can cover the entire body. Even today, the tradition of tattooing by hand is considered almost sacred by Polynesians, and the craft is passed from father to son, much like serving an apprenticeship.

The Hawaiian culture is renowned for its tattoos. In the Hawaiian society, traditional tattoo art, known as kakau, is performed not only for the purposes of individualism and ornamentation but also to guard one's spirit, health and well-being. Hawaiian tattoos are typically intricate, mimicking elements of nature such as leaves, reeds, plants, and certain creatures of nature such as lizards, tortoises, butterflies or fish.

Around 1000 AD, Polynesian settlers found their way to New Zealand and became known as the Maori. By the 18th and 19th centuries, the Maori had developed their culture significantly. One notable aspect of their culture was the development and use of the tattoo, which was called the moko. In this culture, the tattoo or moko, was used to depict societal status, tribal affiliation and ancestry. Known for the full face tattoo, the Maori tattooing was actually performed by carving and chiseling the skin. Being master carvers of wood, the Maori used their skill to create intricate designs in their skin too. The tradition of tattooing or carving also expanded to the lower torso, extending from the waist to the knees.

All Polynesian peoples have a common thread when it comes to tattoos. They believe that a person's spirit or life force can be represented in their tattoo and thus it has a tremendous significance among their society.

Regardless of purpose, tattoos have played an important role in ritual and tradition. As described above, the motivation for having a tattoo can stem from a variety of reasons. Over time, society's elite such as royalty and czars have had tattoos to distinguish themselves from the rest of their social order. In a negative sense, some cultures have used tattoos for just the opposite purpose -to distinguish an element of their society for the purpose of discrimination or segregation.

Regardless of the reason or the society, there can be no dispute that the tattoo has a place in history. This is also true in American society, where the tattoo has evolved tremendously. It was in the United States that the first electric tattoo gun was developed, based upon the technology and principles of Thomas Edison. It was this tattoo gun that revolutionized the art of tattooing by making the process simpler for artists and also for those getting tattoos.

Prior to the seventies, the tattoo was considered the mark of bikers, sailors, freaks, and carnival ride operators and was held in disdain by most of American society (except for Hawaiians). While in the 1940's during World War II many in the service got a tattoo, the process of getting a tattoo was considered an "underground" activity subject to health concerns, and considered dangerous by many. However, in the seventies, tattooing started to take on a new significance during a time when the American society was undergoing many cultural changes. These cultural changes, included the development and increased popularity of civil rights, as well as gay and lesbian, peace advocate and women's lib groups. The peace sign and the marijuana leaf became very popular in the late sixties and seventies as a sign of counter-culture beliefs as tattooing started to creep into the middle class of American society. Today, tattooing is more popular than ever with some claiming that as many as a third of Americans under the age of forty have a tattoo. With this popularity, the tattoo parlor has largely evolved to become a safer, more acceptable place in society and even tattooists are now being considered among the ranks of American artists, more and more having an education in art and/or health.

Alan Mischler is an Internet Marketer and a Business Consultant. He has a wife and three daughters and his wife and oldest daughter have tattoos. While he does not have a tattoo himself, he is interested in learning more about tattoos, their origin, history and safety aspects. His blog is dedicated to learning more about tattoos from the "layman's" perspective.

Everything Tattoo
History Of Tattoos

Want a Tattoo?

Before taking the step to have a permanent tattoo affixed to your body, you must first do some thorough thinking. Take into consideration that any tattoo will be with you for the rest of your life and is VERY expensive and painful to remove. Choose the location of the tattoo on your body very carefully. It may be a good idea to wear a non-permanent tattoo for a while to make sure that the tattoo you're getting is exactly the right size and design you want.

Tattoos are reasonably painful to get, but you may stop the tattooist at any time during the procedure, until you feel ready to go on again. Some people feel pain more acutely than others. Most people feel inclined to get another tattoo soon - which is an indication of the bear ability of the pain. Large tattoos are done over a period of time, to give the wearer time to rest after each session. And yes, when the tattooist perforates the skin, there will be moderate bleeding. It is a good idea to be well rested before your first tattoo!

Expensive or Cheap? Good tattoos are expensive BUT nothing looks worse that a botched up tattoo. My advice is to choose a professional artist at a tattoo parlour, pay the extra amount and make sure that you get quality that will last a lifetime. Your tattoo artist should use a transfer sheet to transfer the image onto your body before starting to add on the colours...

Hygiene? Going hand in hand with choosing a professional tattooist, is making sure that your tattoo is done with all the hygienic safety precautions in place. A professional tattooist will show and explain to you all the safety precautions that are taken. It is a good idea to shop around beforehand to be able to cut out dodgy tattooists. See our article about safety precautions.

Aftercare Aftercare should be prescribed to eliminate infection of the wounds and allow proper healing. In some countries underage tattooing is not allowed and special permission has to be given to tattoo mentally incapable people. It is advised to make use of well trained and professional tattoo artists and precaution must be taken by the client to make sure that tattooing is done only under the most hygienic circumstances. The responsibility ultimately lies with the client to make sure that all the safety precautions are adhered to. Click here for link to tattooing equipment for sale There are no hard and fast rules concerning immediate aftercare of a tattoo. It is advised though, to keep it as sterile as possible while it heals. Specially developed tattoo ointments are recommended, but there is consensus that gentle cleaning with soap and water is recommended. gentle anti bacterial ointment can be applied if the special tattoo ointments are not available.

Care must be taken not to use too much water for rinsing, though as this could also wash out tattoo inks or soften scabs before they naturally fall off. If a tattoo gets infected, the chances of distortion of the image are very good due to the formation of scar tissue and the loss of pigments. Two of the tattoo taboos are to remove scabs before the skin sheds them naturally and exposure to the sun is not advised. Tattoos frequently exposed to the sun will also have to be redone or touched up sooner then those not exposed - so stay out the sun - even after your tattoo has healed! Picking off scabs will remove the ink as well before it has set in and the sun tends to bleach tattoo inks. A tattoo looks at it's best when the maximum ink remains imbedded in the skin.

Keeping a tattoo moisturised for the first two months after the first week of initial healing will keep your tattoo looking better for longer as the tattood area tends to become very dry during this stage. Keeping it moisturised will aso prevent scabbing and scarring. Allergic reactions to tattoo inks have been reported, but is very rare. It is recommended that a small patch of skin is subjected to the ink, before attempting a tattoo, especially facial tattoos, such as make-up tattoos. A program was introduced in Canada to legalize Prison tattooing. Inmates are trained and equipped with the right instruments to do tattooing properly - eliminating the chances of infection and disease spreading.

The History of tattoo's

Tattoos are hot, modern day body art and fashion accessories. Tattoos have been around for ages and still are a cultural icon Everyone wears them, from the celebs to the everyday moms and dads. Ladies, especially, have become very aware of the appeal that a well placed tattoo can have lower back tattoos, small and secret little tattoos, flower tattoos and many more, are meant to surprise and please and decorate and so it does too, otherwise it wouldn't have been that popular!

Tattoos dating back to the second millennium before Christ have been noted on mummies as body decoration. Tattooing has been an ongoing practice since about ten thousand years ago in Japan as evidence shows. Different ancient traditions and cultures have been identified by the types of tattoos that they made use of.

Tattoos have been a popular form of body art for thousands of years in Europe and Asia. With the spread of Christianity in Europe and the effort to convert tribal people with traditional cultures that involved ritual tattooing, to Western religions and cultures, the use of tattoos almost completely disappeared in Europe for a while, because it was considered a pagan practice. Europeans to see tattoos again after it had lost its popularity for so many years, were Captain Cook and his sailors when they visited the Marquesas Islands in the 18th Century. Captain Cook described the tattoos as markings and said that the Polynesians called it "Tataw". The sailors who were on the journey with him reinstated the art in Europe, where it soon was reinstated as a popular form of body-art. Sailors, especially, were associated with tattoos At the time tattooing was a common custom outside of Europe and until today tattooing is a tradition amongst indigenous peoples around the world.

Tattoos' Cultural Status Tattoos are mostly used to enhance the wearer but also have symbolic and traditional meanings that sometimes have nothing to do with adorning the wearer. The symbolism of tattoos differ in diverse cultures but mostly are symbols of status, religion, protection, fertility etc. In many tribal cultures the coming of age initiation process involves tattooing to mark the wearer as an adult and usually signifies that the wearer then has a certain sexual independence. Tattoos were also utilized, until recent times, by authorities to mark convicts and slaves. The holocaust victims of the Second World War were all bearers of tattoos that were used for identification purposes. Even animals were and still are tattooed for identification purposes, such as thoroughbred racehorses.

Today tattoos are mostly used for decorative or cosmetic purposes. In modern society tattoos still have meanings and there is a strong awareness of the cultural meanings of the different symbols, such as religious, magical, protective iconic, memorial, and of course the ever popular sentimental love and sex symbols. Mystical value is also given to certain animal, flower, insect and iconic symbols to symbolize the status of the wearer's cultural mind-set. Tattoos are often used to signify that the wearer associates with particular cultural or religious groups. The armed forces banned tattooing for a long time, but tattooing was and still is practiced discreetly amongst soldiers and sailors to indicate battles fought, killings made, in memory of lost loved ones, etc. Military tattoos have gained popularity amongst non-military wearers as well and is established as a tattoo category by itself. Criminal gangs use identifying tattoos to symbolize their gang's significance and reputation. Prisoners wear tattoos to indicate their social standing in prison.

A prisoner with a tear tattoo is to be feared, because it signifies that the wearer has killed some-one, with a tear tattoo for each killing. The association of tattoos with criminality and brutality have given them a negative connotation in many societies. Women who wear tattoos are sometimes labeled as people with low moral values and especially lower-back tattoos have been named "tramp-stamps". In modern society, the connotation has worn thin, though, and it has become perfectly acceptable and a fashion accessory in modern western cultures for women to wear tattoos. Ethic groups and sub-cultures also use identifying tattoos as symbols for their beliefs. Icons with very explicit cultural meanings are sometimes misinterpreted and used for the decorative value, such as Chinese and Japanese symbols that are tattooed on uninformed Westerners. The aesthetical value of Eastern tattoos make them a very popular tattoo category. Tattoos are made by perforating the skin, or even allowing for a small cut to be made into the epidermis of the skin and then inserting pigments into the perforation or cut.

Enhancing the body with tattoos is a fine and difficult art and in modern times the professional tattooist will advise and make sure that the tattoo you get is an accessory that you will be happy with for the rest of your life.

It is a bad idea to have a tattoo done under pressure. Make sure that you know exactly what you want to have done, beforehand!

Tattoos might become an embarrassment if not done properly or professionally, therefore make sure that you know exactly how it should be done, where to put the tattoo, what size you want and if your homework is done properly you will have the perfect tattoo!

The pain factor is something that first timers are wary of, but although everybody has a different pain tolerance, it is not unbearable and most people come back for a second tattoo - in fact, it is said that tattooing is addictive!

Professional aftercare is very important to make sure a tattoo is safe, heals properly and stays as beautiful as it was from the start.

Permanent Make-up

Cosmetic tattooing is a very popular way of wearing permanent make-up. Permanent make-up is mostly used to enhance the outlines of the eyes - eyeliner and the eyebrows. Eyebrows are sometimes lost due to illness, age, chemotherapy, etc and permanent make-up is usually the perfect solution to such a problem. Permanent make-up is also used on the eyelids, lip-outlines and on lips and on the skin to hide skin discoloration. It is also used to enhance or restore the breast's areola after breast surgery. Permanent make-up is also recommended and useful to people who have difficulty in applying make-up due to hand tremors, etc.

Many people also find it useful when allergic reaction prevents the use of conventional make-up. In many countries, only highly professional and trained people, such as dermatologists and plastic surgeons perform these type of procedures. The initial results of permanent make-up are a bit pronounced and looks hard and and obvious, but soon fades to a more natural look in a few weeks time. The application process is painful, especially to the more tender facial areas and a local anesthetic may be needed to ease the discomfort. The process seldomly can be done in a single sitting, which adds to the discomfort factor. Permanent make-up pigments fade away under continual exposure to harsh sunlight and after about ten years or so, will need to be touched up with regular make-up. How is it Done?

Traditionally tattoos were made by cutting designs or making small perforations in the upper layer of the skin following the desired design lines and surfaces and rubbing pigments into the wounds. Sharpened sticks, metal needles and other sharpened objects were used for this process. Mostly this process was done without proper precautions or aftercare, often resulting in painful infection and distortion of the original designs. Today specially designed tattoo machines are used with multiple needles. The machines are designed to make multiple perforations very quickly, that perfects shading and sharp lines can be made more distinctive. Tattoo machines make the process quicker and gives the artist more control over the desired results.

Modern pigments also allow for more colors to be applied and the results are precise and colorful and allow for shading- and color bleeding nuances which results in beautifully rendered art works. The customer determines the design and placement of the design by having a stencil placed over the chosen area. The complexity and size of the tattoo design ultimately determines the time it takes to tattoo. It could take from less than an hour to many days to complete a tattoo. Tattoo needles are not used repeatedly either, eliminating cross infection and AIDS and are discarded after use. Hygienic precautions are the rule. The tattoo artist has to wear disposable gloves at all times and the wound has to clean repeatedly.

Feel free to have a look here, to help you choose a design for your website or contact me through my website cybertattoos.cyberbuzz.co.za

Renee Meyer is an Artist by trade and she holds an Honors degree in Fine Art. She lives in Groblersdal, where she is the Communications and Marketing person for a large non-profit Welfare Organisation. Having designed a lot of websites for customers, she also has her website in this regard http://www.cybertattoos.cyberbuzz.co.za/

She has a keen interest in tattoo's and especially the design part of it. Feel free to have a look at her website http://www.cybertattoos.cyberbuzz.co.za