Fashion Blogs

Tattoos... Everyone reacts differently to this word. It always caught my attention. I think the first ones I saw in person were my relatives. I must have been 7 or 8 years old. On his arm he wore a funny caricature of the devil with the inscription "born to raise hell". I was in awe of it and although I didn't name my skin until I was in my mid 20's, I was dying to have one as soon as I laid eyes on this little devil. See https://iitsweb.com/butterfly-tattoo-ideas-to-consider/

Tattooing is far more accepted in society today than it was in the 1960s; There are people who frown on the idea of ​​inking your body... forever. Whether it's a religious issue or their personal preferences, I can't deny that tattooing is almost as old as civilization itself.

The word tattoo derives from the Tahitian word "tatu" which means "to mark" or "to touch". The earliest known tattooed person is the infamous "Iceman" found in 1991 in the Otzal Alps, Italy. Carbon dating proved it lived about 5,300 years ago. There are 58 tattoos on his body!! Archaeologists believe he was an important figure in his society. The tattoos were based on coal and water.

Ancient cultures used tattoos to ward off disease or misfortune. The Egyptians were the first to use needles to tattoo the body. When excavating the tombs, archaeologists even found children's dolls decorated with tattoos. Tattooing spread to Greece and Arabia, and around 2000 B.C. the tattoo had reached Asia.

The Japanese were the first to use tattoos to identify criminals. It later became an art form that produced some of the most beautiful tattoos in the world. Yakuza (Japanese mafia) use their tattoos to intimidate their rivals. The Japanese tattoo style has influenced hundreds of artists today.

Polynesians also contributed heavily to the arts. Their instruments consist of sharpened pieces of bone or ivory tied to a stick. They "etch" the ink into the skin by hitting the tip of the instrument with a hammer-like object. The tool can consist of a single sharp object or a whole series of objects resembling a rake.

Members of certain tribes would spend grueling hours tattooing their bodies as a right of passage. These tools are still used today for the same rituals, but it's a dying art form performed only by those who preserve their culture. They also developed a face tattoo called "Moko". This face tattoo consisted of lines drawn around the face telling the life story of that person.

Centuries earlier in Europe tattooing family crests on the body was common, but when the Normans invaded in 1066 the tattooing disappeared. 600 years later, a sailor named William Dempher met Prince Giolo, known as the Painted Prince. It was brought to London from Polynesia, exhibited and caused a sensation.

In the 1700s, on one of his many voyages through the South Pacific, Captain Cook met Oami, a heavily tattooed man, whom he also brought back to England. The English were amazed and soon tattooing became a fad in the upper class. However, it would be another 100 years before tattooing would make an impact in America.