Tattoo: 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)

Many masters try to distinguish between the art of tattoo and permanent makeup. I think it is impossible how to separate mother and daughter, although at the same time both mother and daughter (having the closest relationship) are two self-sufficient individuals. But this art is so ancient and fascinating that, it seems to me, the master must know the history. Craft with history is art, art with history is a profession worthy of respect

During the study of the art of tattoos, their styles and types, it was revealed that over time, the meaning of tattoos changed and was rethought, due to changes in cult ideas, their original meaning was forgotten. But they continued to be stubbornly applied to the body, since these drawings were consecrated by a stable tradition. Nowadays, when their original meaning is lost or forgotten, images of tattoos continue to be used.

The meaning of some is generally understood and addressed to all people, but the semantics of many images has a hidden meaning and, apparently, is intended to convey secret information. Therefore, the study of the ancient tradition of the symbolism of tattoos touches upon problems that go beyond the decoding of incomprehensible signs. We are talking about the reconstruction of the spiritual world of our ancestors. Although many tattoos are naive in nature, the carriers never doubt their truth and usefulness. Stylized images of people, animals, birds and reptiles in tattoos acquire a hidden meaning.

It is possible that the phenomenon of tattoos, reanimated by modern society, is that imperceptible turning point, proving how far we have come along the path of progress. Perhaps the tattoo is an exclusively archaic phenomenon. Primitive thinking has not left us irrevocably, it is deeply hidden, but at any moment it is ready to return. That is why there are so many types and styles of tattoos nowadays.

Ancient times

When was the first time a person deliberately applied a pattern to his skin? This is one of those questions that humanity will most likely never get an exact answer to. No records were kept at that time, and one cannot count on the personal testimony of contemporaries. Scientists have not come to a consensus on this issue: some claim that they began to draw on the body no more than six thousand years ago, others that the history of tattoos has been around for sixty thousand years. But, observing rock paintings on the walls of caves around the world, we can say with confidence that the art of applying patterns to the body began from the moment when primitive man discovered in himself the ability to fix what he saw in drawings, symbols and signs. At first, improvised coloring agents were used for this (ripe and green berries, grass), but the drawing did not last long and, of course, could not survive to this day in any way, so we can only judge the appearance of a tattoo applied using various technologies for introducing paint under skin or burns.

It is possible that the tattoo on the human body for the ancient peoples was a kind of passport, which carried the most important, in their opinion, information. Archaeological excavations present dry facts to our eyes: during the excavations of the Egyptian pyramids, mummies with drawings on the skin were found. They are about four thousand years old. The bodies of mummies are abundantly dotted with various tattoos, including quite complex ones. Obviously, by this point, body painting had already acquired the status of art.

Most likely, the tattoo appeared earlier - back in the primitive communal society. It happened by chance, when a person noticed that irregularities appear on the body, which, in turn, merge into bizarre patterns, in those areas of the skin where there have recently been cuts, burns or wounds. At the same time, if foreign particles (ash, for example) got into a wound that had not yet healed and the wound did not begin to fester, then after it healed, the pattern acquired color and for a long time gave its wearer individuality. Since most often random drawings appeared from scratches and wounds received during battles with large animals or with enemy tribes, this became a kind of sign of special courage and valor. After a while, people began to scratch deliberately to indicate their prowess and fearlessness.

Separate families stood out in the tribe, on the bodies of which the same drawings were applied. Most often, the eldest in the family received this drawing during some important battle, and the rest wanted to emphasize their direct relationship to the hero in this way. Often tattoos were endowed with magical powers. It was believed that they were able to ward off evil spirits and bring good luck when hunting. Sometimes they made tattoos to indicate their belonging to a certain group of people - to a tribal community, clan, tribe, or to a certain profession. Of great importance were the size, location, color and, in fact, the drawing itself. Some of these parameters were strictly determined by traditions, and some were limited only by the imagination of the person himself.

In many tribes, only by tattoos applied to the body, it was possible to determine belonging to a certain family, social status, and also some set of personal qualities.

Tattoos of different tribes differed from each other. For example, an animal drawn on the body meant nobility among the Altai Scythians, and also carried information about the history of the family; the inhabitants of the Polynesian islands have only one animal drawn - the totem of their kind; and the American tribes, during the war with their neighbors, applied images of fighting animals. Symmetrical, but very complex drawings were applied to the bodies of noble relatives in the Maori tribe. Complex and very beautiful drawings formed whole plots.

So the tattoo on the human body for the ancient peoples, as already mentioned, was a kind of passport that carried the most important, in their opinion, information. Already by one glance at a person, it was possible to determine what kind and tribe he was from, whether he was brave or cowardly, honest or not, a warrior or a hunter.

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