Origins: Polynesia

Tattooing done in Polynesia was found to be the most intricate and skillful artistry out of all the tattooing done in the ancient world. The secret to their skill was the fact that the Pacific Island on which the Polynesians lived on were resourceful and protected from enemies. This allowed more time for Polynesians to perfect their arts and crafts rather than searching for daily necessities such as food and water, which many less fortunate nationalities had to. 

The earliest Polynesian tattoo designs were found on Lapita pottery, a type of pottery left as a trail of their travels across the Pacific. The designs on these pots were mostly geometrical patterns as well as sea creatures which closely resembled tattoos found on Polynesians. Archeologists have also found a unique instrument which Polynesians used to tattoo, consisting of flat pieces of bone with pointed teeth at one end. The ink would be put into the instrument and then a mallet would be used to hit the bone and inject the ink. These instruments were called "uhi"and were not used in other parts of the world.

Oftentimes, social hierarchies could be shown through the tattoos that an individual possessed, representing the amount of strength and power an individual possessed. For example, Tongan warriors were often covered in tattoos as well as priests who had completed their training. Tattoo artists in particular held high status in their community. Women were also tattooed, but with more dainty designs as compared to the harsh geometric patterns that were typically inked onto the men.

When the Pacific Islands were invaded by Europeans in the 18th and 19th centuries, the Europeans opposed tattooing due to the fact that it was highly associated with native religious practices which the Europeans were not familiar with. Although tattooing was outlawed in many colonies, there was an increase in European tattooing. The Europeans learned the art from Polynesians and attempted to bring the trend back to Europe.

Origins: Ancient History

Evidence of tattoos have been around for thousands of years, dating back to the Upper Paleolithic period (10,000 BC-38,000 BC) in which bone needles used as tattoo instruments have been discovered around Europe. Egyptian mummies have also been found to have tattoos, and example being Amunet, priestess of Hathor of Thebes and the oldest known tattooed mummy. Amunet's mummified body had parallel lines inked into her arms and thighs as well as a tattoo below her navel. 

Along with Egyptian tattooed mummies, all of which are female, archeologists have also found statues with similar designs in tombs. These symbols found both on the statues and the mummies themselves are signs of fertility and rejuvenation.

 Multiple other mummies have been uncovered in various other countries such as Libya, Russia and Peru, the tattoos mostly relating to sun worship and the worship of gods. 

The oldest formula for tattoo ink was written by Roman physician Aetius in the sixth century. They referred to tattoos as "stigmates" which is the Latin translation. The ink used was made of Egyptian pine wood, corroded bronze, gall, sulfuric acid, vinegar, water and leek juice and then injected into the skin using needles.

Overall, tattoos in the ancient world are very similar to tattoos today due to the fact that they typically hold cultural or personal significance.

Introduction

At my high school, seniors spend their last month of school working on an individual project which furthers their knowledge in areas outside of those taught by the school. For my senior project, I was interested in exploring the subject of tattoos. Therefore, this blog is dedicated to compiling everything that I am going to learn this month whether it be historical research or reflections on interviews I have with tattoo artists or any other interesting videos or links I might find online. Enjoy!