a history of tattooing by Tsunami
The art of tattoo finds its history in almost every indigenous culture worldwide. For centuries, humans have carved, stained and burned themselves with the symbols of their knowledge. These indelible markings tell the story of who we once were, and who we are today. From ancient to present times, tattoos have been used as protective or healing talismans, able to guide one through the labyrinth of the temporal realm, as well as in the afterlife. The motives behind body art are informed by our instincts, instincts that seek to address the question of our own mortality...
Ancient Egypt is widely believed to be the birthplace of the tattoo. Evidence indicates that the earliest practice of tattooing can be found on female clay figurines that date back 6000 years, long before Egypt became a unified civilization. Intriguingly, tattooing was practiced solely by Egyptian women, who commonly had tattoos of the protector Bes, on their inner thigh. Bess was the bearer of happiness, aiding in childbirth, and protecting the newborn child from death. Dancing around with knives and a drum, Bes frightened away evil spirits and brought peace to the dead. His image has also beeen found on the pillows beneath the heads of mummies, as a protector through the stages of physical death.In the frozen waters of the Bering Sea, the Okvik and Punuk peoples of St. Lawrence Island developed a remarkable tattooing tradition that dates back more than 2000 years. Tattoos were essentially biographical, reflecting individual and social experiences, and defined by notions of masculine and feminine, sickness and health, the living and the dead. They regarded living bodies as inhabited by multiple souls, with each soul residing in a particular joint. From this perspective, the intrusion of an evil spirit from outside the body into one of the souls of an individual was the cause of death and disease. Consequently, and as a form of spiritual/medicinal practice, St. Lawrence Islanders tattooed specific joints on their body. These joints served as "doorways" into the human body whereby malevolent forces could enter and exact their damage. Thus, by tattooing over these entrance points the pathways would be closed, and the individual spared.
Tattoos also had significant importance in funerary events for the Inuit of St. Lawrence Island. These funerary tattoos, which consisted of small dots in th center of various joints (shoulders, elbows, hips, wrist, neck, etc.), protected pallbearers from spiritual attack. Death was considered to be a very dangerous time in which the living could become possessed by the "shade" or negative spirit of the deceased. Although not visible to all, the"shade" was believed to be a material replica of the corpse. And since pallbearers were in direct contact with the dead, they were ritualistically tattooed to protect themselves.
The word tattoo comes from the Polynesian word tatau, meaning "to tap." Polynesian cultures used tatau to express a complex set of social, sexual and spiritual mores. In Samoa, pe'a, the male form of tattooing, primarily reflects a man's commitment to his family and to his community. This painful form of tattooing, which starts at the kness and ends at the abdomen, is infused with cultural symbolism. The ceremony itself is a sort of "simulated death" whereby a young man is systematically integrated into society with each new incision. These tattoos also played a role in psychological warfare, as they were intended to simultaneously scare the enemy, protect the wearer and identify the slain. A popular Samoan verse reads: "Your necklace may break, the fau tree may burst, but my tattooing is indestructible. It is an everlasting gem that you will take with you to your grave."
The Japanese tattoo, considered by many to be the most sophisticated expression of the art form, can be definitively traced back to 5000BCE. Clay figurines bearing painted or engraved faces representing tattoo marks have been recovered. It is believed that these markings had magical signifigance, as the figurines were used to "stand in" for living persons who symbolically accompanied the dead on their journey to the nether realms.
The full body tattoo in the Japanese tradition takes its imagery primarily from the wood-block prints of Kuniyoshi. The dynamic depictions of fearless warriors battling serpents and dragons on land, in the sky and in the water represent Buddhist notions of good versus evil, life/death, karma and reincarnation. These tattoos are seen to unify the mind and body by assimilating the ethereal nature of religious beliefs with the tangible processes of visual art. The tattoo is thought to be a living jewel, not something apart from oneself, and not something that has come from elsewhere. As ink flows into skin, it is like ice melting into water. All is contained in a single expression of mind/body. Just as karma extends from life, the tattoo extends, and is inseparable from the body.
In North America, tattooing was popularized by merchant and military sailors. Drawing heavily on patriotic and Judeo-Christian protective imagery, these sailors would hand-poke designs into their own skin, and that of their friends. Because they were constantly subjected to the fury of the elements, they would tattoo religious iconography on their bodies to appease the forces that create storms and cause drownings. It was also not uncommon for these men to mix gunpowder into the ink, thinking it would protect them from death in battle.
From these traditions and many others, the modern electric form of tattooing developed. Evolving into a highly specialized fine art, tattoo requires of its practitioners years of dedicated study. Although the designs may vary from person to person, the underlying motives stay the same. We are still looking for clues to our existence outside the scope of conventional systems of knowledge.
The art of tattoo is a celebration of the living body. It provides a nexus between individual and culturally defined values that express the many ways people attempt to honour their bodies, lives and experiences. To receive a tattoo is to test the boundaries of our physical and mental reality. Thus, by altering the physical, we hope to get a glimpse of the metaphysical. On some level, we must believe that if we can transcend pain, we may be able to transcend death. Perhaps our quest for protection and healing underlies the more elusive quest for immortality? And perhaps the knowledge that we acquire from traditional tattooing can be applied to our own lives in ways our ancestors did not envision?
Regardless of the motives for tattooing, it is apparent that body art is still a vital and evolving part of our world culture. It is our living history, a reflection of our fears and our fearlessness--as much a symbol of our individuality as it is of our unity. As the tattoo becomes part of the body, the individual becomes part of the thoughts and deeds of society. Indeed, there is a harmony created between the internal and the external when one receives a tattoo, and it is within this state of harmony that the questions of our existence are revealed.
Tsunami is a world-renowned tattoo artist
whose work has been featured in numerous
television, film, amd print media publications.
His unique approach to body design is
inspired by his travels in more than 30 countries
and the essential wisdom of listening
to one's heart.