Making Your Mark
Part 1:
What we will cover:
•
•
-
What are tattoos?
How are they made in different cultures.
Where do they come from?
Historically where did they originate and how
did they travel to different parts of the world.
• What are they for?
- How do different societies use and view
tattoos.
Pre-History of Mark Making:
• The first cave paintings were found in Lascaux, which
is in the Southwestern France.
• They are the most remarkable because of their
exceptional quality, size, and sophistication.
• Estimated to be about 20,000 years old they
primarily consist of large animals that were once
native and hunted in the region.
• The paintings were discovered on September 12,
1940.
Cool video inside the caves:
• http://www.lascaux.culture.fr/?lng=en#/fr/02
_00.xml
Draw a couple quick sketches of these
images:
First Dated Cave Man Found with
Tattoos:
• In 1991 a pair of hikers in the Otztal Alps along the
Austria-Italian border stumbled across the frozen and
mummified body of an ancient man.
• The mummy was 5,300 years old and was named by
historians as “Otzi”.
• Based on hair taken from his clothing it was believed
that he was a Shepard.
• Scientist found and believe that he was ambushed
and murdered only then to be frozen in the ice for
thousands of years.
How he was found:
Facial Reconstruction Image:
Tattoos:
• The Iceman’s body is covered with over 50 tattoos in
the form of groups of lines and crosses.
• Unlike modern tattooing methods, the tattoos were
not produced with needles but by means of fine
incisions into which charcoal was rubbed. Interestingly,
Ötzi’s tattoos are located at points where his body was
subjected to considerable strain during his lifetime and
very probably caused him a lot of pain due to wear.
• The tattoos were therefore probably intended as
therapeutic measures rather than as symbols.
Tribal Tattoos:
Woo Hoo Videos!!!
Making Your Mark
Part deux (2)
Traditional Techniques
• One of the first known dated techniques was done
by piercing the skin and rubbing ink into the open
wound.
• These needles were usually made of fish or turtle
bones, long thorns, and splinters of flint (a type of
rock)
• Ancient Egyptians tattooed the courtiers, to the
concubines, and even the pharaohs. Many
mummified bodies were found with markings on
their skin.
Japanese Tattoos
• Tebori (手彫り) is traditional Japanese hand
tattooing. Many artists praise it for its ability to
create subtle gradations of tone that are difficult to
achieve with a machine.
• The word Tebori comes from te meaning 'hand' and
hori or horu, 'to carve, sculpt or inscribe.' The word is
used to describe the technique of tattooing that
arose in the late 18th and early 19th century in
Japan.
Contemporary Traditional Tebori
Artist (Horimyo):
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxqpRvxL
DqI
Negative Perspectives : Yakuza
• In Japan, tattoos are still viewed negatively and are
received by the general public as improper. This is
due to its deep rooted history with the Yakuza mafia
which is still prevailing in Japan today.
• It is a gang that began after a war era in early 17th
century Japan (exact date unknown since many of
the tattoo traditions were underground and hidden
from society).
• The Yakuza are still currently active with over
110,000 members divided into 2,500 families.
• If a person adorns visible tattoos in Japan they
may not gain respectable high paying jobs and
can sometimes not be allowed in fitness gyms,
public swimming pools, and especially Japans
renowned natural hot springs (Onsen).
Negative Use of Mark Making in
Cultures: Roman Empire
• Ancient Romans marked their slaves who tried
to escape.
• Much like cattle this was a way to ensure they
could be easily identifiable if they did end up
getting away.
• Either with symbols or the letters FUG
(fugitivus or fugitive in English)
Negative Use of Mark Making in
Cultures: Holocaust
• “For many, the blurred blue lines of a serial number on a
forearm are an undeniable image of the Holocaust. The
tattoos of the survivors have come to symbolize the utter
brutality of the concentration camps and the attempt of the
Nazis to dehumanize their victims. The tattoos are also a
testament to the resilience of those who bear them. Yet
despite the importance of the tattoos, as testament, symbol,
and historical artifact, little scholarship has been devoted to
the subject. There exist virtually no official period documents
relating to the practice; what we know stems from anecdotal
evidence contained in camp records and the accounts of
those who were at the camps.” –George Rosenthal
Traditional American Tattoos in the
Western World:
• The first known tattooed people in American society
were viewed in circus side shows as the tattooed
lady or the illustrated man.
Nora Hildebrandt
• One of the most well known illustrated ladies
who made her debut in 1882.
• The daughter of Martin Hildebrandt, a
German who set up shop in NYC in the 1840’s.
• What Martin wasn’t applying his freehand
flash designs on soldiers, sailors, and sideshow
exhibits, he was working on Nora’s skin.