Tattoos-A brief history and their significance

This past month has seen two Kenyan female celebrities tattoo the names of the lovers on their bodies, with Amber Ray being the more famous of the two. (I can't for the life of me remember the other lady)

Amber, the trending Kenyan socialite proved that she wasn't lying when she showed off the tattoo she had got of her now ex-husband's surname, Marlow, on the small of her back.

Harmonize is another famous celebrity who keeps on getting tattoos like they are going out of style.

Thing is, he isn't the only one, many other celebs and regular Kenyans have also been getting tattoos much to the chagrin of their parents.

But while tattooing nowadays might seem like the new craze among hippy Kenyan youngsters, the practice has its roots from millennia back. 

And Just How Far Back? Let's Take A Look

In ‘The Descent of Man’ (1871) Charles Darwin wrote that there was no country in the world that did not practice tattooing or some other form of permanent body decoration. 

In his book ‘Missionary Travels and Research in South Africa’ (1857), David Livingstone wrote that many Africans tattooed themselves by introducing a black substance under the skin to cause a raised scar.

Such stories suggest that tattooing probably arose at various locations through bloodletting practices, scarification rituals, medical treatment or by chance.

The oldest discovery of tattooed human skin to date is found on the body of Ötzi the Iceman, dating to between 3370 and 3100 BC.

Otzi the Iceman was discovered in September 1991. His nickname comes from the location he was found in the Otzal Alps.

His body was naturally mummified and preserved, making him Europe’s oldest human mummy.

Otzi’s body has a total of 61 tattoos in various different locations, with the majority of these ink inscriptions located on his legs. 

Other tattooed mummies have been recovered from at least 49 archaeological sites, including locations in GreenlandAlaskaSiberiaMongolia, western ChinaEgyptSudan, the Philippines and the Andes.

Within ancient Chinese practices, tattooing was considered to be barbaric and was highly stigmatized.

When Christianity appeared, tattooing was considered a barbaric tradition and it slowly faded in Europe to return with transoceanic travels in 16th.

In Modern Times

At first, tattooing was “reserved” for sailors and lower classes but in time, as tattoo artists became more and more proficient, tattooing became a hobby of aristocracy which had money to pay high prices of professionals.

In the 1910s the majority of tattoos were found on circus performers or sailors. Tattoos were used to tell someone’s personal story, as well as their professions.

The 1920 and 30s saw women also start putting tattoos. Many would get popular makeup trends tattooed on their faces, as makeup was too expensive to buy.

Common makeup tattoos included eyebrows and lip liner. As tattoos were so socially unacceptable, most women would keep their cosmetic tattoos a secret.

But in the 1940s tattoos achieved a bit more acceptance with the birth of the iconic ‘Sailor Jerry’ style of tattoo, created by Norman Keith Collins.

He added color to tattoos by creating his own pigments and adding them to his tattoo designs. This fundamental shift in tattoo design saw tattoo acceptance rise. 

As tattooing became cheaper it was again seen as a mark of the lower class. It stayed like that until 1960s and the hippie movement when it slowly entered the Overton Window changing from deviant behavior to an acceptable form of self-expression.

It became so mainstream that even toy-maker Mattel started selling Barbie dolls with tattoos.

Nowadays, p
eople of both sexes, of all economic classes, and of all ages wear tattoos if they want to. 

Tools Used to Create Tattoos Through Time

Polynesian tattoos required two people to make a tattoo with a simple chisel and a hammer being used.

The tattoo artists make a series of little cuts in the skin, with the ink being hammered directly into the skin where the cuts have been made.

This method is commonly known as ‘Stick and Poke‘.

The first tattoos used homemade inks with the inks likely made from ash or soot, mixed with oil or breast milk.

Modern Day Tattoo Equipment

Modern tattooing as we know it started in 1891 with the first electric tattoo machine being patented by Samuel O’Reilly.

The design was based on a modified version of the electric pen, created by Thomas Edison.

But why did people get tattoos in the past?

The original meanings of many tattoos are lost. However, body decorations such as scarification, tattoos and piercings have always been an obvious means of distinguishing individuals within a group, and groups within a society.

 Tattoos from these past civilizations tended to have links to medical healing, as opposed to the cosmetic value that they have today. On a personal level, a tattoo is part of one’s identity. 

Historically and culturally, tattoos have been applied both as marks of distinction (awarded for achievement or signifying the transition to adulthood) and sources of shame (when applied punitively).

Pain is an unavoidable aspect of tattooing and to many peoples, its endurance was intrinsic to the initiation, like the Nuer in Sudan.

At a tribal level, tattoos can indicate age, marital status, power and class, and outside the group they may distinguish friend from foe.

In many tribes, women’s tattoos were symbols of beauty that simultaneously ensured they were of no value to neighbouring tribes.

And Now?

In the Western world and 3rd world countries like Kenya, it has taken time for tattoos to become socially acceptable.

It’s really only in the last fifty years that tattoos have become popular and mainstream. (So goes the West, so goes Kenya).

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