Jo and slade

Tattoo ? ancient practice, modern times

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Why tattoo? In ancient times the tattoo took on many meanings. Cassandra Franklin-Barbajosa of National Geographic Magazine notes, the earliest record of tattoos, to date, was found in 1991 on the frozen remains of the Copper Age “Iceman.” Scientists found the lower back, ankles, knees and foot had been marked with a series of vertical lines. Researchers believe the “Iceman,” named Otizi, may have used tattoos as medical treatment to reduce pain by rubbing black charcoal into the cuts. According to Franklin-Barbajosa, “As civilizations developed tattoos took on other meanings Levaquin online. Ancient Egyptian funerary figures display the same dot and dash tattoos on their bodies as those found on female mummies from that time period.” Ancient Romans, who banned tattoos at first, later embraced the art form and wore tattoos as badges of honor, symbols of battles won. During the crusades, warriors identified themselves with the tattooed mark of the Jerusalem cross so that they could be given a proper Christian burial if they died. By the early 18th century, European sailors encountered inhabitants of the South Pacific islands where tattoos were an important part of culture. In 1769, Capt. James Cook landed in Tahiti, where the word “tattoo” originated, taken from the native “tatau” meaning to make a mark on something. In this case, to “tap” a mark into the skin. Tattooing has been practiced in Japan for art, beauty, magic and to mark criminals since around the 5th century B.C. New York inventor Samuel O’Reilly patented the first electric tattoo machine in 1891, making traditional tools a thing of past. Over the five decades that followed tattoos became equated with certain groups on the fringe of American culture. While sailors, World War II and other military veterans embraced the tattoo, society remained unconvinced. Today, the tattoo has become much more mainstream. Everyday people are choosing to express their inner-self through the art of tattoo. No matter the decade or culture, a tattoo is an extremely personal means of expression. Tattoos mark time and meaningful events in the lives of persons bearing them. As the lyrics of “Tattoo” by The Who, a rock group who sang , “Welcome to my life, tattoo … We’ve a long time together, me and you … I expect I’ll regret you … But the skin graft man won’t get you … You’ll be there when I die … Tattoo,” explain. That exact sentiment is expressed by Paul Sloan, who considers his tattoos to be art, “Art that no one can take away from you. (Art) you get buried with.” Sloan, who lives and works in York, says tattoos are one way to express yourself or to remember a particular day. “Besides, it’s my body,” Sloan states, in regard to what others movie dvd may think. Most of Sloan’s tattoos are of animals; a lizard, black panther, spider. He’s got his daughter’s zodiac sign on his wrist, and a tribal sun at the nape of his neck. He guesses he got the first around 20 years ago, before it was as fashionable as it is today. Brandon Travis is 27. Travis says, he’s been getting tattoos for around 10 years. According to Travis, his mother wasn’t to happy he came home with a tattoo, which happened to be the head of a devil. Travis says tattoos are his style. Reactions to tattoos depend on the person. Travis believes tattoos are more commonplace than people realize, with quite a few people keeping theirs covered. “I kept mine covered for a while,” he admits. Travis says his tattoos are personal and meaningful to him, and that’s what is most important. Reactions to skin ink differ from person to person. Often wartime and military tattoos are viewed as more socially acceptable than art “seemingly” tattooed for fun. But both Travis and Sloan stress, what really matters is how they, themselves feel about the work. Both see tattoos as an indelible statement about who they are, and where they are in life. Tattoos don’t come cheap … they are expensive in terms of dollars and cents. Getting a tattoo is painful. The process is time consuming and requires patience. But Travis says tattoos are addictive — he plans to get more. Why tattoo? According to Sloan and Travis the answer is individuality … and the reasons run skin deep.

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