"[P]rimitive tribes were certainly convinced that the spirit, having escaped from the body at death, retained a replica of its earthly tenement. They therefore used tattoo marks as a means of identification in the next world and a passport to future happiness. Ronald Scutt
The practice of tattooing as a body art form can be traced back almost 5000 years in history in different parts of the world. The word 'tattoo' is derived from a Polynesian word 'ta' which means to strike something; and the latter part is derived from a Tahitian word 'tatau' meaning 'to mark something'. There have been different significances of tattoos for different people in different cultures. For some, tattoos were a symbol of authority, slavery, security or religious importance. No matter what the reason was, tattoos were and are still used to define one's individuality and beliefs. Let us now go back to the historical times and see the importance of tattoos in various parts of the world.
History of Tattooing
There was no clear evidence of the existence of tattooing in history until the discovery of the 5000 year old frozen body of 'Otzi the Ice Man', who created headlines back in 1991. His body had 57 tattoos which included a cross mark towards the inner part of the left knee and 6 15-centimeter long straight lines above his kidney. There were also many parallel lines on the lumbar, legs and ankles. Experts suggested that this mummy dated back to circa 3300 BC and the marks were probably therapeutic tattoos. Let us now have a look at the tattooing practices in different parts of the ancient world.
Egypt
Tattooing in Egyptian culture has been prevalent in many of their art forms. There were tattooed bodies or mummies that were found dating back to the early period of XI dynasty. In 1891, the mummy of a priestess of the goddess Hathor, named Amunet, was found, which had several geometrical patterns of tattooed lines and dots all over her body. Amunet was known to have lived in Thebes between the time period of 2160BC - 1994BC. Egyptian tattoo art symbolized ritual practices and it was from Egypt that the tattooing art was spread out to Greece, Persia, Arabia and South East Asia during the pyramid building in the third and fourth dynasty.
China
Ancient tattoo art in China has been featured in Chinese literature wherein many Chinese ethnic groups were known to tattoo themselves, since the Zhou Dynasty that was prevalent from 1045 BC to 256 BC. In ancient China tattooing was associated with groups or individual criminals, bandits and gangsters. Also there was a practice of tattooing convicts and slave's faces with Chinese characters until the Qing dynasty from 1614 - 1912. Also, according to a famous Chinese legend, the most popular general of the Song dynasty, Yue Fei, had made his mother tattoo the words 'jing zhong bao guo' () on his back with the help of a sewing needle. The words meant 'repay his country with pure loyalty' and the mother tattooed them right before he left to join the army.
Japan
Archeologists have found the Japanese tattoo art in many clay figurines from ancient tombs that dated back to 3000 BC or more. These clay figurines have human faces with tattoo marks engraved on them. It is believed that these figurines were either living individuals or statues whose purpose was to accompany the dead into the after life journey. These tattoos were considered to be religious and were known to possess magical powers. Even the history of Chinese dynasty in 297 AD states that Japan consisted of The Horis, which were the masters of tattoo art.
Polynesia
As mentioned earlier, the origin of the word 'tattoo' itself is traced back to Polynesian language, so imagine the importance of ancient tattooing in this area. According to the beliefs of Polynesian people, the spiritual strength and powerful beliefs are represented by a tattoo. In the Samoan culture, tattooing a person was relevant to the ranks, birth orders, family reputation, etc. It was a full-fledged ceremony which was conducted tat the time of puberty. The Hawaiian culture called tattoo art as 'kakau'. The art of tattooing in this culture was not only a symbol of distinction and ornamentation, but also acted as a protection or as a spiritual and physical guard.
Persia
Practices of tattooing, body piercings, and painting the body existed in ancient Persia since many many thousand years. The evidence for the same has been found in both archeology and Persian literature. The discovery of stone carvings and idols from the Achaemenid Empire that existed from 550-330 BC is an archeological proof that tattooing on Persian Gods, Kings and even soldiers was a common practice. Even the famous ancient Persian poet Rumi has written a famous narration 800 years ago, wherein a man asked to get a tattoo of a lion but later changed his mind because of the tattoo needle pain.
India and Thailand
The Henna tattoo on the hands and foot of females is traced back in the ancient history. Many idols of the ancient Indian Goddesses are known to have these tattoo designs on them. In Thailand, tattoos are inked on monks who tend to possess certain magical powers to get extra energy and boost their skills.
Indonesia
Speaking of Indonesia, Borneo tattoo designs are the ones that are famously known as the 'Tribal tattoos' in today's world. Borneo is one of the few places which has managed to keep the cultural heritage, which goes back thousands of years ago, still safe and sound.
Middle East
The Middle East tattoos history is one of the most interesting according to me. Unlike other parts of the world, where tattoos were used as a symbol, the middle eastern people tattooed themselves while mourning for the dead. As a custom to respect the dead and feel the loss of the one who is gone, they used to cut themselves with sharp tools and rubbed the ashes of the dead on the wounds. As the wounds healed, the ashes were sealed in their bodies in the form of tattoos, so that they carried the remains of the dead with them forever.
England
The art of tattooing prevailed in England only after Captain Cook returned from a long voyage from Polynesia with a tattoo. From thereon, the trend of tattooing navy soldiers prevailed. The Prince of Wales, who later became King Edward VII, got his first tattoo in 1862, which was a Jerusalem cross tattoo. Later on, in 1882, his sons, The Duke of Clarence and The Duke of York, were also tattooed by Hori Chiyo, the famous Japanese tattooist.
North America
The Native Americans practiced tattoo as a body art form since thousands of years. The early Jesuit accounts testify the same. Native American tattoos were mainly found on the faces and bodies of extremely brave warriors. In some parts of north-western America, the chins of women were tattooed signifying their marital status. Also, huge tattoos reflected high status in the society.
Celts
The Celtic tattoo designs are famous all over the world and their bold and artistic patterns give an idea of their cultural art form. The Celts permanently painted their bodies with the help of a woad, which is the reason why most of the tattoo designs are in black and blue. Originally, the Celts were the tribal people who were found all across western Europe after they started moving in 1200 BC. Areas where Celtic tattoo art form survived were Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Though there has been a mixture of positive and negative viewpoints in terms of cultures and religions, the fact is that the tattoo art form is gaining more and more popularity day by day. However, times and viewpoints have been changing from time to time. Tattoos are now a symbolic representation of a person's individuality. So no matter what, don't let history affect your present. I hope this article helped you to get some insight of ancient tattoos and their significance, and hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did compiling the facts.
