1. Body Art: The history and
significance.
Tattoos are a very old form of body art and
have been practiced from a very long time in
civilized human history. The history of tattoos is
very ancient and seems to be of thousands of
years old and even before the birth of Christ.
The recorded indication of tattoos comes from
the ancient Egypt where wall paintings as old as
2000 BC have been suggesting the use of
tattoos in the ancient Egyptian society.
2. Mummies of dancers and royal concubines
have geo metric designs tattooed on their
chests, shoulders, arms, abdomens and
thighs. In the New Kingdom, dancers,
musicians and servant girls occasionally had
a tiny representation of the god Bes tattooed
on their thighs as a good luck charm.
3. Origin of the word:
The Polynesian word tatao, which
means to tap, can be the originator of
this word though researchers suggest
an Tahitian word tatu which means to
mark something to be the distant
ancestor of the modern word tattoo.
4. Somoan Tattoo, another
historical leader in body art.
In Samoa, the tradition of applying tattoo, or tatau, by
hand has been unbroken for over two thousand years.
Tools and techniques have changed little. The skill is
often passed from father to son, each tattoo artist, or
tufuga, learning the craft over many years of serving as
his father's apprentice.
5. There were few
Samoan men
who refused the
traditional pe'a,
an intricate
tattoo that
covered their
body from mid-
torso to the
knees. The artist
would use a
mallet to tap the
teeth of the ink-
laden comb into
the men's flesh,
following only
simple guide
marks.
6. Those who could not endure the pain and
abandoned their tattooing were left
incomplete, wearing their mark of shame
throughout their life.
The permanent marks left by the
tattoo artists would forever
celebrate their endurance and
dedication to cultural traditions.
7. Tattoo as culture.
According to mythology, the two
sons of the God Ta ﾕ aroa -Mata
Arhu and Tu Ra ﾕ i po ﾕ - found this
art decorative and decided to teach
it to humans. As there is no writing
in the Polynesian culture,
Polynesians used this art full of
distinctive signs to express their
identity and personality.
Tattooing was used to identify
your status in a
hierarchical society : sex, social
status and rank as well as family
clans differentiation.
8. Social acceptance and
mythology.
Tattoo was not only used for social purposes but it was
also considered as a good protection against evil
spirits. It was also used in rites of passage to the
adult life for teenagers -around 12 years. During this
feast, the young men would show their tattoos as a
proof of the accomplishment of their learning, prior to
be fully admitted in the adults clan and recognized by
the community. This step was compulsory to enter the
world of men.
9. Practice
This art was ruled by
strict laws and it reached
the entire Polynesian
society over the 5
archipelagoes. It could
only be practiced by
tattoo masters, a highly
respected profession that
required a long period of
learning and training.
10. Polynesian tattoo today.
After it was forbidden by missioners, the art of
tattooing completely disappeared and it
only came back in the 80’s thanks to the
notes and sketches of over 400 drawings
made by missionary Karl Von Steinen.
Indeed, it had been totally forgotten !Today,
you will find many places to get tattooed in
French Polynesia. The most popular and
appreciated signs are the tiki, the turtle, the
lizard (gecko), the ray as well as a lot of
specific Marquesas designs. The first
international festival of tattooing was
organized in April 2000 on the sacred island
of Raiatea. It gathered 50 tattoo masters from
all over the world and encountered a big
success.
