Tattoos, back in time

The topic I picked was tattoos because for one I have them, and I think it is a good way to
express your self. Tattoo originates from the word ‘Tatu’ that mean’s ‘to mark
something’ people say tattooing started about 12,000 BC. In October 1991 a tattooed man
approximately 5,500 years old was discovered between Austria and Italy he is the oldest
man to have been found with tattoos. In Egypt around 2,000 to 3,000 B.C they used
tattoos for women to promote motherhood, fertility, and protection. Many cultures use
tattoos for many reasons. In West Africa most men receive tattoo’s to help identify one
another and also establish becoming a man this is done by a shaman. The shaman would
use a ritual knife to make a many cuts all over the body.

This could take up to twelvehours. The Aztecs used tattoos to display a warrior’s rank; they also used them to honor a god, or to differentiate different tribes. Many people in jail use tattoos to show what gang
they are affiliated with. The Germans used tattoos to mark Jewish people for processing
for concentration camps. The same way they brand cattle.

Tattoo locations

Tattoo, tattoos

The popularity of the wrist tattoo is on the rise as shown by the number of top celebritiesgetting them. There are many types of wrist tattoos including stars, words, and wrist bands.The wrist is a great location for a tattoo that you can hide or show off as you choose. What an ideal spot for your favorite saying or symbol.Types Of Wrist Tattoo DesignsThe most common location is the inside of the wrist. They are very popular because it iseasier to hide an inner wrist tattoo. Some folks like to have their wrist tattoo on top of theirwrist in combination with a tattoo sleeve or hand tattoos. Even more daring is a tattoo thatencircles the wrist like a bracelet. A tattoo of this type is just like an armband tattoo but muchlower. Pink has "What Goes Around Comes Around" and "TRU LUV" circling her right wrist.Peaches Geldof has a crucifix tattoo around her left wrist.Nautical stars and words are probably the most used wrist tattoos. Wrist band tattoos areusually celtic knots or barbed wire. In addition to english words both kanji and sanskrit areoften used. Women sometimes get flowers, hearts, or kissing lips tattoos.Getting A Wrist TattooAre they painful to get?

Calendar tattoo, 2014

Kiribati Tattoos

Extensive body tattoos are not now an integral part of Kiribati life although limited tattooing is still done. The following rare information was compiled in about 1930 and indicates the extensive tattooing that was done in certain parts of Kiribati at this time
The tattooing instrument was called Te Wii n Taitai, the tattoo marks being termedTaita i.
The handle of the wii n taitai was made of tarine wood (the wild almond) and the points of
sharpened turtle shell.
When tattooing, the wii n taitai was hit with any suitable piece of ba (midrib of the coconut
frond), the hammer being termed Te Kai n Oro.
The turtle shell was cut with a large Te Batino (sea urchin) which had previously been
sharpened by rubbing it against a stone from the reef known as Te Em.
The wii n taitai was then inserted into a slot in the tarine wood. It was not bound at all with
string, but the inserted end was wasted.
The tattooing ink is made from the ashes of the coconut known as Te Wae, which has no
kernel, mixed with salt, or occasionally fresh water.
The pattern is drawn by a straight length of Te Noko (the midrib of the coconut leaf) being
pressed on the skin.
The ink is put on with a length of Te Noko bent into a triangle.
One side of the triangle is dipped into the ink and drawn along the line already made. The wii
n taitai is then hit down with the hammer along the inked lines.
The designs are as follows:
Te Atu Ni Kua
Four feathered lines from the shoulder blades to the top of the thigh, ending on the back of the
thighs.
Te Kana Ni Kua
Extending from where the Atu ni Kua leaves off to the top of the ankle, going down the side
of the thighs and legs.
Te Manoku Ni Wae
Extending from the back of the ankle, straight up the back of the leg and thigh to the top of
the buttock.
Te Moa Ni Wae

TAHITI TATTOOS

 Traditionally, tattooing in Tahiti has always been a privilege of the more eminent social classes. Social ranking allowed tattoos corresponding to the wearer's position in the community under the supervision of the Ari'i.
Men often had tattoos all over their body, including on the neck and ears. Only the face was left untattooed except for the occasional warrior or priest who might wear a special emblem on his forehead or lips.
Tattoos for the men fall into four categories; those belonging to the social class of gods, priests and Ari'i, which were hereditary and restricted to their descendants; tattoos of the Hui Ari'i class, Arioi'i, exclusively for chiefs (male and female); tattoos of the Hui To'a, Hui Ra'atira, Ia To'ai class, reserved for leaders of war parties, warriors, and so on; and Menehune class tattoos, for individual with no pedigree or an unremarkable family history.

The supernatural origin of tattooing was attributed to the sons of the god Ta'aroa (Tangaroa or Tangaloa), the principal Tahitian divinities. They taught the art to mortals who found it extremely attractive to be tattooed and used it widely. The two sons of the god Ta'aroa were Mata Mata Arahu and Tu Ra'i Po' who became the patron spirits of the art. They were always invoked before a tattooing session began so that the operation would be successful, the scars will heal quickly, and the patterns will be pleasing to the eye.
As a reminder of this legend, images of the two gods were conserved in the Marae of the Tahu'a, the skilled practitioners of the art. This particular form of traditional culture has been handed down from one generation to the next and no outside influence has been able to alter the methods used or the way in which designs are applied to the skin.

In ancient Tahitian society all women were tattooed. Young girls were tattooed at a very young age with marks on the inside of their arms to show that they were free from food tabus.
Until that time they could only accept food prepared by their mothers - no-one else. There are no illustrations of these marks, just a few descriptions. Young women were again tattooed and they began to wear clothes as they reached puberty. These tattoos are often described as heavy black patches on their posteriors, and were absolutely required before a woman was permitted to engage in intercourse. As a young woman grew slightly older, the smaller designs in arch shapes across the top were added. As a sign that they were sexually mature and desired a man, women were reported to lift their bark cloth skirts showing their tattoos. Quite often this was directed at the Europeans who were surprised, if not shocked, particularly the missionaries.
One early observer reported:

"The young females are more remarkable for bearing [tattooing] than the Males tho they
cannot suffer more than one side to be done at a time and the other may remain perhaps for a
Twelvemonth after before it is finished, till which time they never Conceive themselves
Company for Women - being only Counted as Children till they have their tattooing done."
(Morrison 1935:221).
The artists of the Captain Cook voyages can again be credited with the first illustrations of Tahitian tattooing. In a sketch by Parkinson, we see the typical women's tattoo as described by so many of the early explorers.

Gang Tattoo's

Gang Tattoos

Nothing symbolizes gang members' commitment to their gangs more forcefully than the gang tattoo. These symbols proclaim the individual's allegiance to the group in a way that is both permanent and deeply personal-being written on the body itself. But in recent years, thanks to a combination of social and technological changes, the significance and the permanence of gang tattoos are both being challenged. As a result, it appears that the power of these signifiers has begun to erode.

Tattoos are thought to have existed since the beginning of mankind. The oldest tattoo ever found was on a man frozen in a glacier near Austria who was believed to have died in approximately 4000 B.C. Although it's not known whether the frozen Austrian was a criminal, for most of recorded history tattoos have been associated with unlawful behavior and the underworld.

The early Romans tattooed slaves and criminals as a means of identification. During the years 300-600 C.E. in Japan, criminals were sometimes tattooed as punishment for their crimes. Criminals in the Mediterranean region in the third century C.E. were often tattooed or branded with symbols indicating the crimes they committed; sometimes the victim's name was even emblazoned on the criminal's forehead.

But while society has often imposed tattoos in order to identify the tattooed as criminals, many people have also embraced these stigmatizing marks. Being an outlaw can be a source of pride as well as shame. Gang members in particular take pride in branding themselves as outside of the boundaries of conventional society. Until recently, tattooing was restricted to stigmatized members of society, including gang members, carnival workers and prisoners-categories that often overlapped. It is significant, however, that tattoos were not imposed on these groups, but chosen by them as a means of self-identification and, often, a symbol of belonging.