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The
word
tattoo
is
said
to
has
two
major
derivations-
from
the
Polynesian
word
‘ta’
which
means
striking
something
and
the
Tahitian
word
‘tatau’
which
means
‘to
mark
something’.
The
history
of
tattoo
began
over
5000
years
ago
and
is
as
diverse
as
the
people
who
wear
them.
Tattoos
are
created
by
inserting
colored
materials
beneath
the
skins
surface.
the
first
tattoos
probably
were
created
by
accident.
someone
had
a
small
wound,
and
rubbed
it
with
a
hand
that
was
dirty
with
soot
and
ashes
from
the
fire.
once
the
wound
had
healed,
they
saw
that
a
mark
stayed
permanently.
Despite
the
social
sciences'
growing
fascination
with
tattooing,
and
the
immense
popularity
of
tattoos
themselves,
the
practice
has
not
left
much
of
a
historical
record.
bronze
age
In
1991,
a
five
thousand
year
old
tattooed
man
‘ötzi
the
ice
man’
made
the
headlines
of
newspapers
all
over
the
world
when
his
frozen
body
was
discovered
on
a
mountain
between
Austria
and
Italy.
this
is
the
best
preserved
corpse
of
that
period
ever
found.
the
skin
bears
57
tattoos:
a
cross
on
the
inside
of
the
left
knee,
six
straight
lines
15
centimeters
long
above
the
kidneys
and
numerous
parallel
lines
on
the
ankles.
the
position
of
the
tattoo
marks
suggests
that
they
were
probably
applied
for
therapeutic
reasons
(treatment
of
arthritis).
pazyryk
culture
In
1948,
120
miles
north
of
the
border
between
Russia
and
china,
Russian
archeologist
Sergei
Rudenko
began
excavating
a
group
of
tombs,
or
kurgans,
in
the
high
Altai
mountains
of
western
and
southern
Siberia.
mummies
were
found
that
date
from
around
2400
years
ago.
the
tattoos
on
their
bodies
represent
a
variety
of
animals.
the
griffins
and
monsters
are
thought
to
have
a
magical
significance
but
some
elements
are
believed
to
be
purely
decorative.
altogether
the
tattoos
are
believed
to
reflect
the
status
of
the
individual.
Egypt
written
records,
physical
remains,
and
works
of
art
relevant
to
Egyptian
tattoo
have
virtually
been
ignored
by
earlier
Egyptologists
influenced
by
prevailing
social
attitudes
toward
the
medium.
today
however,
we
know
that
there
have
been
bodies
recovered
dating
to
as
early
XI
dynasty
exhibiting
the
art
form
of
tattoo.
in
1891,
archaeologists
discovered
the
mummified
remains
of
amunet,
a
priestess
of
the
goddess
hathor,
at
Thebes
who
lived
some
time
between
2160
BC
and
1994
BC.
this
female
mummy
displayed
several
lines
and
dots
tattooed
about
her
body
-
grouping
dots
and/or
dashes
were
aligned
into
abstract
geometric
patterns.
this
art
form
was
restricted
to
women
only,
and
usually
these
women
were
associated
with
ritualistic
practice.
the
Egyptians
spread
the
practice
of
tattooing
throughout
the
world.
the
pyramid-building
third
and
fourth
dynasties
of
Egypt
developed
international
nations
with
Crete,
Greece,
Persia,
and
Arabia.
by
2,000
BC
the
art
of
tattooing
had
stretched
out
all
the
way
to
southeast
Asia
.
the
ainu
(western
Asian
nomads)
then
brought
it
with
them
as
they
moved
to
Japan.
Japan
the
earliest
evidence
of
tattooing
in
Japan
is
found
in
the
form
of
clay
figurines
which
have
faces
painted
or
engraved
to
represent
tattoo
marks.
the
oldest
figurines
of
this
kind
have
been
recovered
from
tombs
dated
3,000
BC
or
older,
and
many
other
such
figurines
have
been
found
in
tombs
dating
from
the
second
and
third
millennia
BC.
these
figurines
served
as
stand-ins
for
living
individuals
who
symbolically
accompanied
the
dead
on
their
journey
into
the
unknown,
and
it
is
believed
that
the
tattoo
marks
had
religious
or
magical
significance.
the
first
written
record
of
Japanese
tattooing
is
found
in
a
Chinese
dynastic
history
compiled
in
297
AD.
the
Japanese
were
interested
in
the
art
mostly
for
its
decorative
attributes,
as
opposed
to
magical
ones.
the
horis
-
the
Japanese
tattoo
artists
-
were
the
undisputed
masters.
their
use
of
colors,
perspective,
and
imaginative
designs
gave
the
practice
a
whole
new
angle.
the
classic
Japanese
tattoo,
is
a
full
body
suit.
china
from
southern
china
the
practice
spread
along
the
silk
route.
Polynesia
in
pacific
cultures
tattooing
has
a
huge
historic
significance.
Polynesian
tattooing
is
considered
the
most
intricate
and
skillful
tattooing
of
the
ancient
world.
Polynesian
peoples,
believe
that
a
person's
mana,
their
spiritual
power
or
life
force,
is
displayed
through
their
tattoo.
the
vast
majority
of
what
we
know
today
about
these
ancient
arts
has
been
passed
down
through
legends,
songs,
and
ritual
ceremonies.
elaborate
geometrical
designs
which
were
often
added
to,
renewed,
and
embellished
throughout
the
life
of
the
individual
until
they
covered
the
entire
body.
in
Samoa,
the
tradition
of
applying
tattoo,
or
‘tatau’,
by
hand,
has
long
been
defined
by
rank
and
title,
with
chiefs
and
their
assistants,
descending
from
notable
families
in
the
proper
birth
order.
the
tattooing
ceremonies
for
young
chiefs,
typically
conducted
at
the
onset
of
puberty,
were
elaborate
affairs
and
were
a
key
part
of
their
ascendance
to
a
leadership
role.
the
permanent
marks
left
by
the
tattoo
artists
would
forever
celebrate
their
endurance
and
dedication
to
cultural
traditions.
the
first
Europeans
who
set
foot
on
Samoan
soil
were
members
of
a
1787
French
expedition.
they
got
a
closer
look
at
the
natives
and
reported
that
‘the
men
have
their
thighs
painted
or
tattooed
in
such
a
way
that
one
would
think
them
clothed,
although
they
are
almost
naked’.
the
mythological
origins
of
Samoan
tattooing
and
the
extraordinary
cross-cultural
history
of
tatau
has
been
transported
to
the
migrant
communities
of
new
Zealand,
and
later
disseminated
into
various
international
subcultures
from
Auckland
to
the
Netherlands.
the
Hawaiian
people
had
their
traditional
tattoo
art,
known
as
‘kakau’.
it
served
them
not
only
for
ornamentation
and
distinction,
but
to
guard
their
health
and
spiritual
well-being.
intricate
patterns,
mimicking
woven
reeds
or
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