From tattoo to permanent makeup: art with history

Taisiya Milic , Head of the Specialized Curriculum Development Department of the International Association of Permanent Makeup Professionals, Member of the European Research Association of Educational Psychologists Science International School of Practical Pedagogy (ISPP)

In previous publications , we have covered in detail the development of tattoo art from its inception to the New Age. Let's continue the study of tattoos with their review in traditional cultures.

Tattoo in traditional cultures

Tattoos in Asia have a long history. Already the first European travelers paid attention to some specific traditions of the natives.

So, in the 15th century, the Italian Nicolo Conti reached the valley of the Irrawaddy River in Burma and discovered that the natives prick their flesh with iron needles and rub paint into these places, then indelible.

A century later, the Frenchman Tavernier noted that women in East Bengal tattooed their skin into colorfully patterned cloth. According to the English researcher Claire Anderson of the University of Leicester, such tattoos, called “fit”, are extremely diverse. They have not so much decorative as informational value. For the nomadic tribes of Hindustan, tattoos serve as a sign of identity, helping others to recognize belonging to a particular ethnic group. For example, among the women of the Gond tribe, it was customary to cover the face and limbs with symmetrical patterns of blue. Images of tigers, monkeys and birds, according to scientists, were associated with local totems. Banjar traders and Gadialohar blacksmiths in Rajasthan, as well as women, tattooed their faces. Among the people of Assam, the presence of a tattoo was necessary when entering into marriage. Adivasi men were burned with red-hot iron five indelible marks in the forearm during initiation.

In South India, tattoo artists were wandering women from the Korowai tribe, who, by tattooing a person, predicted fate. They could make tattoos for women of certain castes. First, a drawing was drawn with a blunt stick with paint, then it was stitched with sewing needles. Sometimes acacia thorns were used for this purpose. In Canara, a portrait of the divine monkey Hanuman was applied to the shoulder, relieving pain. The presence of a tattoo was considered important for the existence of the soul in a future life.

Tattoos are an essential attribute of some Hindu castes. In the Indian epic Ramayana, Krishna puts his four signs (shell, wheel, lotus flowers and reptile) on the faces of wives. Vishnu tattoos Lakshmi's hand with drawings of his weapons, the Sun, the Moon.

After the Muslim conquest among the followers of Islam, tattoos with a decorative purpose become prohibited.

For representatives of different castes, the meaning of tattoos is not the same. For Hindus, tattoos can act as the embodiment of earthly suffering, as a symbol of punishment for sins. Certain signs serve to recognize family members, and, finally, body markings can have a proper religious meaning. In particular, this applies to some face tattoos that reflect religious humility and purification. Brahmins, followers of Vishnu, sometimes burn marks on their shoulders. Indian Christians also get tattoos. Among Catholics and representatives of the Syrian Christian community in Kerala, it is customary to put on the shoulders and hips images of birds embodying the Holy Spirit.

Sometimes a tattoo is meant to serve as a sign of good health. Indian women are tattooed to protect themselves from evil and for a safe birth. The belief in the healing power of tattoos for rheumatism and even wounds is described. For example, in India there are numerous "living saints", sadhus, who traditionally do not belong to any caste. They can be identified not only by their matted hair and beard, but also by special symbols on their foreheads, applied with ash or sandalwood paste. If three lines are depicted, they symbolize the triad of gods - Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.

According to the drawing, one can distinguish sadhus - followers of Vishnu: they wear a white sign in the form of the letter V on their foreheads, sometimes crossed out with horizontal stripes of red and white.

It is curious that the application of a red mark on the forehead of the groom accompanies the Indian wedding procedure. This ceremony, called "dwara-puja", takes place at the moment of prayer at the entrance to the bride's house.

In general, devotees of Vishnu put three parallel vertical lines on their foreheads, sometimes along with a dot or a circle. The signs of Vishnu are the wheel, disk, shell, shield and heart. In addition, the water element is associated with the name Vishnu in the representation of the Indians, the symbols are oriented downwards, like flowing water.

Shiva's followers prefer horizontal stripes, sometimes adorned with a dot and enclosed in an oval. Another symbol of Shiva is a triangle with its tip pointing upwards, it embodies the fire element.

A lot of research is devoted to the art of tattooing, and the history of tattooing is no less amazing. We will definitely get to know her in future posts.

The material was first published in Permanent No. 2(6)/2017