Do you have a tattoo? Otzi the IceMan has 57 of them. His 5000-year-old body was discovered in 1991, on a mountain between Austria and Italy, by German tourists trekking the Oetz Valley. The IceMan is one of the best preserved Neolithic corpses ever found.
He was still wearing goatskin leggings and a grass cape. His copper-headed axe and a quiver full of arrows were lying nearby.
Maybe Otzi will show you his tattoos if you show him yours. He has a cross on the inside of the left knee, numerous parallel lines on his ankles, and six 15 centimeter straight lines above his kidneys. There is speculation that the tattoos were applied for therapeutic treatment of arthritis.
Tattooing has existed across cultures since 12,000 BC, though the purpose varies from culture to culture. The word tattoo is said to derive from the Polynesian word ‘ta’ which means to strike something, and the Tahitian word ‘tatau’ which means to mark something twice.
In Borneo, women tattooed symbols on their forearm indicating their particular skill. The Greeks used tattooing for communication among spies; markings identified the spies and showed their rank. Some tattoos are for status or to show membership. Others are strictly for adornment. There are also demeaning uses of tattoos throughout history. The Romans used them to mark criminals and slaves.
Tattoos (once stereotyped as the body art of sailors, jailbirds, and bikers) have had a resurgence in the last few decades. They’ve become a hot topic of discussion at more than one family dinner table. Teenagers coming of age begin to ask the hard questions: “When can I get my nose pierced? Oh, and can I get a tattoo?”
Write about your relationship to tattoos. Are you offended by them? Or are they a form of self-expression. If you have a body art tattoo, write about the color, imagery, and location. Where did you have it done? Most people choose symbols that mean something to them. Did you design your tattoo? Was it painful to sit under the needle? How did you get through the pain.
Using the rules of Writing Practice, write as many details as you can remember.
If you always wanted a tattoo but could never get up the nerve, write about that. If your teenage daughter or son has a tattoo, write about your experiences negotiating with them. If you gave them a firm, “No!” – why?
Remember the cover of the Rolling Stones 1981 album, Tattoo You? The record spent nine weeks at Number One, boosted by radio favorites “Start Me Up” and “Waiting on a Friend.” Write about the album cover art. Do you remember any other music about tattoos?
What’s the most shocking body art tattoo you’ve ever seen? If you need images to stimulate your memory, check out the art at Tattoo You. Or the photographs and sketches at A Brief History of Tattoos.
Love, Central Pennsylvania, June 2007, all photographs in this post © 2008 by QuoinMonkey. All rights reserved.
-posted on red Ravine, Monday, March 3rd, 2008
I didn’t know that the Ice Man had tattoos! That’s a pretty amazing fact. (Also, what was he doing out in that cold with so little food in his stomach? I guess he’d been lost for a while, eh? I’ll have to read more about him.)
The tattoos in this post are extraordinary. I love the foot heart. My goodness, that part of the foot has little skin to cushion the needle. That must have hurt some.
This will be fun. I certainly have had strong opinions about tattoos, and the only thing now I’ll say (will leave the rest for practice) is that I have toyed with the idea BUT getting one at my age now seems so midlife crisis 8) .
LikeLike
yb, they are pretty cool tattoos, aren’t they? I’m fascinated by tattoos. I’m going to save most of that for my writing practice, but I’m amazed at the pain people put themselves through for this form of art. I guess we all have different thresholds of pain, though.
I know lots of women in their 40’s who are getting tattoos. What I really hope people write about are the reasons they get them, too. That’s good reading. I think it’s definitely still an Art of Rebellion. But becoming more and more accepted.
When I was in high school in the 70’s, next to no women had tattoos. Unless they were highly independent, big on women’s rights, involved with other women, or perhaps, biker women. And even then, there might just be one, and it would be on the discreet side. My how things have changed.
LikeLike
QM, before I sign off, I do want to comment on this post. As a young ,& for the most part stoned teenager, I did get a tattoo. My boyfriend & I were breaking up & I had a tiny “blue” heart tattooed on my left shoulder. I barely remember having it done. In hind sight I wish I had never done it, but have given thought to having it re-done in a more tasteful way. I am not opposed to people expressing themselves in this form of art. It should be a matter of personal choice. J has none, our oldest son has none, but our youngest son has many. His choice.
I think the funniest one I ever saw was sent to me via e-mail & it was of a balding man & on the back of his head was a tattoo of a man with a lawn mower. I considered that one to be very clever! D
LikeLike
diddy, the lawn mower tattoo on the back of his head, that’s hysterical. That guy’s really got a sense of humor. 8)
I didn’t know you had a tattoo. Didn’t know about the nephew’s either. I’ll have to check them out. I have heard of a few people who had them redone (as you mention), to create new meaning. I guess it’s something to think about. But you’ve had it so long, I bet it’s a part of you now.
It’s interesting that you had it done on your left shoulder. I have 3 friends in their late 40’s, all with small tattoos in the same place. I wonder if it was a popular location back then?
I went through the body location discussion with a few friends, and it seemed like one of the major considerations when getting a tattoo. (How do people choose?) And then, some people just start with one image and build out from there. Later gator.
LikeLike
I like to look at other people’s tatoos (the good ones) but I could never have one. I’m not attracted to anything long enough to want to look at it everyday for the rest of my life. I did make an exception for my husband…. 😉
LikeLike
8) It’s amazing how you can learn to love a tattoo if it’s attached to someone you love. And, yes, a big consideration when getting a tattoo- do I really want to look at this image every single day for the rest of my life. Good question.
LikeLike
QM, when I had my tattoo done, I gave some thought to the location. That being said, I thought that having it on my shoulder would be a discreet location. I was one of a many who got tattooed that same night. It was at a party, during the winter, some men & some women. I never considered that as the weather grew warmer that I would be baring that shoulder with tank tops & bathing suits! Thank goodness it is so small. In the 70’s it was quite frowned upon.
But, I think tattooing is becomming more acceptable & I suppose that if a person can live with it daily, then so be it.
I watched people waiting in line last year at the boardwalk in Ocean City MD to get Henna tattoo’s. Most were women in their late 40’s, early 50’s , and parents with young children (the children being the one’s to get them). Of course, this type of tattoo is not permanent. It was amazing to watch the skill of the artist free-hand drawing them on other’s bodies. And, no pain involved! D
LikeLike
You brought up something I had completely forgotten about – the henna tattoos at the boardwalk. That’s really interesting that you noticed the age range – women, 40’s, 50’s, and children.
It’s a great idea though, to try a tattoo out in henna before actually making it permanent. I wonder why more people don’t do that. Drawing on the skin that way is truly an art form. Of course, I admire anyone who can draw. (I loved keeping a sketchbook, but drawing is not my strength! I try to draw and paint with my photography.)
I wonder how long those henna tattoos last. Do they wash off the first time the kids then take a dip in the salty ocean? 8)
LikeLike
QM, my recollection is that the henna tattoo will last for about a week or two at best. I was simply intrigued by the age difference of the people getting them. I don’t think they wash off as easily as taking a dip in the salty ocean. As you know that entire vacaction was quite an experience for me. I made the best of it, based on observation. D
LikeLike
diddy, it reminds me of getting caricactures or sketches drawn by artists on the boardwalk. Maybe the henna tattoos have taken the place (or added on to) those kinds of experiences. It’s amazing to see something drawn like that, quickly, and right before your eyes. I’m kind of fascinated by the process of drawing and sketching.
On our sidebar under Lynx is a link to the Daily Art site. Each day there’s a video of a person making a drawing or sketch of whatever they choose. I haven’t checked it out in a while, but I used to go there and watch the drawings come to life. I also used to like to watch the Disney specials where they would have film of the artists drawing the Disney cartoons.
When I was at MCAD, I met a woman in my year one Visual Studies class that wanted to be a cartoonist. She could really draw and illustrate. I often wonder if she ended up moving to California and working for a company that produced cartoons (her dream).
LikeLike
I have one tattoo…on my lower back…that I affectionately call “The Butterfly Maiden”. She is my totem, and my muse…a 7″ wide butterfly crafted for me by tribal artist from New Zealand named Brent McCowan. The Butterfly Maiden reminds me that life is a series of Transformations….. :)\
Namaste!
LikeLike
Grace, The Butterfly Maiden sounds intriquing. And so cool that she was crafted by a New Zealand artist. Tattoos as art. I had a dream about a butterfly the other night. And a Grandmother, all in the same dream. I keep meaning to do a Writing Practice about it. I need to do that. Life is indeed a series of transformations.
LikeLike
If I got a tattoo, it would be the word, “FRONT” tattooed on my chest, so people would know. It’s pretty embarrassing to go to Nordstrom’s to buy a bra and then being directed to the teen section.
LikeLike
[…] -related to Topic post, WRITING TOPIC – TATTOOS […]
LikeLike
[…] -related to Topic post, WRITING TOPIC – TATTOOS […]
LikeLike
[…] My goal is to give myself permission to take time to write more than just on an intermittent basis in the hopes that writing will allow me to reach deeper levels of self awareness and give me a an outlet for self expression and creativity. -related to Topic post, WRITING TOPIC – TATTOOS […]
LikeLike
[…] to posts: WRITING TOPIC – TATTOOS, Ink Illuminations, dragon haiku trilogy, Dragon Fight — June […]
LikeLike