Tattoos: The Primitive Art of Body Decoration

There are various ways in which humans decorate their bodies. Today they use cosmetics, colors and ornaments to adorn themselves. However, humans living as early as in the Neolithic times had other ways of decorating themselves- the Tattoos. Tattoos are in vogue even today, but in mainstream culture, it is largely a part of popular fashion and only in some countries do we find tattoos etched for more spiritual or etymological reasons. The art of tattooing was first mentioned by Joseph Banks who accompanied Cook in his 1769 voyage on the "Endeavour". Since then, the interest in tattoos has steadily increased and later it was discovered that people in Japan, Taiwan, Turkey, Africa, Cambodia, New Zealand and some other countries, Tattoos continue to be a part of their lives.

The Technique: Tattoos are made with the help of inedible ink, that is, once it is inserted into the dermis layer of the skin, it changes the pigmentation. As a result, the mark becomes permanent. When this is done on an intricate design, the result is the beautiful tattoo, a permanent design on the skin. Today however, various methods of temporary tattoos are also very much in vogue for those who like changing the designs every few days. So tattoos done with removable ink and even sticker tattoos which can be easily put in with the help of adhesives are also extremely popular.

Purpose of Tattoos: As mentioned earlier, though tattoos are vastly used nowadays for decorative purposes, in ancient times they were used by cults and brotherhoods for sacred rites of initiation and to demarcate ranks with secret societies, and also a kind of identification to prove that person's being a part of any group. In other cases, they were used for spiritual and religious purposes. They were used by the women strategically to enhance their seductive appeal, whereas some tattoos were used by the high-men and priests as symbols to ward off evil. It can be said that whole social structures have been based on tattoos as they became a symbol for the person who had it etched.

Taboos: However, it has to be mentioned that in many parts of the world, tattoos are infamous, largely due to the fact that they are very much popular in the world of anti-socials and underworld. A person flaunting it simply because of decorative purposes can find that he is shunned by people at work and in his social life because to contemporary men, they are a symbol of dark, pagan rituals or tribal arts which are not to be practiced. But, there is still no denying the artwork of the tattoos and the true admirers recognize the hard work and the potential of the tattoo-makers to the fullest.