American History : Norman Keith Collins

Tattoos are a source of self-expression, and there are countless of ideas that one can forever ink on their body. There are people whose life story is captured and told by the inking that scatters their physique, yet there are others who believe this is a representation of a bad character. When I began digging, I knew that starting off with an individual's clashing experience with their tattoo would be

On the most basic level, tattoos acted as a badge of social and cultural differentiation that separated the tattooed from the non-tattooed. On a deeper level, however, social and cultural homogeneity did not unite the tattooed, for the subject matter and aesthetic style of the tattoos created a fault-line that divided the classes. (Caplan, 2000, 148)

Tattooing is not just a recent fad. Tattooing has been around for a very long time. "The current first proven incident of a tattoo dates back 4,000 years B.C. a traveler was found in Italy near Austria, preserved in the permafrost of a glacier. Carbon dating and arte facts found near him suggest that he is over 5,300 years old" (Tattoos and Design). Tattoos have been used

Tattoos have been around since 3,000 B.C. The oldest discovery of a tattooed mummy was the “Iceman”. The frozen body was discovered by hikers in 1991. The tattoos discovered on the body had no specific drawing there were just straight lines and small crosses. This led to believed that tattooing was used as a therapeutic to relieve pain. The Egyptians hold the true claim to fame regarding tattoos. It was common practice for Egyptian women of high status to received tattoos for the same sort of therapeutic reasons. “Tattooing of ancient Egyptian women had a therapeutic role and function as a permanent form of amulet during the very difficult time of pregnancy and birth” (Line berry 2).

A tattoo is a mark with an intricate design on the flesh by inserting pigment into the skin. In “Tattoos Gain Even More Visibility”, Trebay discusses how tattoos and body modifications are progressively becoming the norm in today’s society. Trebay is an author at the New York Times and writes mainly about fashion. He discusses the potential affects markings and piercings pose on everyday life.

Throughout history tattooing has served many purposes. The earliest evidence of tattooing was found in 1991 in the mountains of Austria. An Iceman was found, his bones dated back to 3,300 B.C. which is over 5300 years ago. His skin had signs of blue tattoos. The scientists did not understand the reasons for his tattoos, but counted fifty-eight in total. (Wiman-Rudzinski, 2002)

The Oceanic tribes viewed a person as a blend of “life forces, physical substances, and ritual knowledge” that came from multiple sources and were constantly changing. Since they viewed a person as such, they would do ritual tattooing. This was meant to harden the body and be part of the admittance into adulthood. Then one would go through severe pain to have extensive tattooing done to have a rite of passage into ritual empowerment. Some Oceanic tribes would tattoo the whole body, such as the Marquesas, while others would only tattoo the buttocks and thighs. In Figure 11.24, Tomika Te Mutu of Coromandel, shows the nineteenth century Maori Chief covered in facial tattoos. The Maori’s would use a chisel to create such tattoos. Facial tattoos

The history of tattooing date back to the first man, Otzi, in 3300 B.C. who was found frozen in the Alps (Nat-A-Tat2) and the history piercing date back to different primitive tribes for their beliefs (Tribu). Scientists say that the tattoos he had were for medical reasons. When they found his body, they took X-rays and where there were tattoos was where his bones had started to decay. His tattoos were on his back, knees, ankles, and feet. The ink used on his tattoos was made of powdered charcoal and rubbing it into his cut skin. Many ancient civilizations did tattoos and piercings for example the Egyptians, Greeks, Japanese, Arabian and Siberians. Many mummies have been found with tattoos and are the oldest bodies to be found with gauged or stretched earlobes (Tibu). The Egyptians were also the ones who brought tattooing to Greece and to Arabia (Nat-A-Tat2). In Japan, tattoos were used for beauty, beliefs “and to mark criminals” (Nat-A-Tat2).

The tattoo is a very old form of body modification, but in spite of that there is still a certain rejection towards those who carry them in a visible area of the body, for some it disfigures what has been created in the image and likeness of God while for others associates this with convicts or gang members mainly because they were one of the first groups to use tattoos to differentiate themselves from the rest of society. But also it is true that there is a very limited understanding about this corporal modification that could be one of the reasons why it can not be appreciated as for how it should be. However, modern society reflects the current popularity of tattooing because it has acquired an entirely artistic meaning to a social expression and a way of identity.

Until 1991, the earliest evidence of tattoos we had were, for a long time, Egyptian, and were present on several female mummies dated to c. 2000 B.C.-that was, at least, until the discovery of the Iceman, who was dated back 5,200 years ago. These earliest tattoos were small dots and crosses placed at knee and ankle joints, as well as the lower spine, to reduce joint pain-in essence, the first tattoos were therapeutic. The mummies found with tattoos were all female, suggesting the practice was female-only, and while the first mummies were dismissed by the (male) excavators as women of dubious status, one tattooed

When the instructors at the Art Institution began to espouse asinine diatribes concerning my chosen subject matter, I quit, the moment, Tommy Hadsmight, who owns a chain of ‘Tattoos and Body Piercing Salons’ hired me, Homer Scooter as his apprentice. Needless to say, only a fool would have turned down an opportunity to have Tommy mentor them. Since, anyone who knew anything about tats has heard of Tommy, the legend, the guru, and the master of masters. The grapes on the rumor vine swear that people showcase his ink in all seven continents.

In the late 1960s, the attitude towards tattooing changed. Much credit can be given to Lyle Tuttle. He is charming and interesting and knows how to use the media. He tattooed celebrities, mostly women. Magazines and television went to Lyle to get information about this ancient art form. Lyle Tuttle (born 1931) is a well-known American tattoo artist and historian of the medium, who has been tattooing since 1949. He was featured on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, after having tattooed Janis Joplin and several other notable musicians and celebrities of the time.

Tattoo artist were mainly middle-aged men, who worked at the hole in the wall tattoo parlors. Body art also became known to be seen at circuses, and “freak shows” sometimes being next to people with disabilities or natural born wonders (DeMallo). Until the golden age of tattooing, which took place in the twentieth century, when parlors were actually next to things like barber shops, and retail stores. Margo DeMallo describe body art at the end of the sixties as “fragmented into different forms that corresponded to different social groups: servicemen, gang members, convicts, bikers, and working class men and woman” (DeMallo).

Daniel Evers has worked in numerous cities and states over his career. I asked how educated his general clientele is, he responded without hesitation. “Over my career, I have noticed a dramatic increase in the number of lawyers, nurses, pharmacists, and high ranking military getting tattooed. The common thought when I began my career as an artist was that only drug users or gang members were tattooed. Now it is common for business owners and veterinarians to have tattoos from head to toe.” (Evers, 2016)

Tattooing is defined as the process of making permanent designs to an individual’s body. The word tattoo is believed to have two etymological origins. The first derivation is from the Polynesian word ta, which is used for the sound when something strikes another thing (PBS). The second derivative is from the word tatau, which originated in Tahiti and it means marking something on the body (RUSH). The process of tattooing has been around for many years and there is contingent evidence of tools marking the beginning of tattooing in the Upper Paleolithic (RUSH). However the first human to be found with evidence of tattoos was a frozen corpse of a man, whom they call Otzi. According to Professor Rush, Otzi dates between the 5th and 4th millennium, and he was found to have small lines by