Early Times of Tattooing

Tattooing is probably one of the only industries that have been around longer than the sex industry. It has had a similar amount of criticism as well, if not maybe more. Evidence of tools used for tattooing have been found dating back to 10,000-30,000 B.C.. If you have any older relatives that want to give you any grief for getting a tattoo, just remind them that somewhere back further in the family tree, probably thousands of years, one of your relatives was probably getting tattooed by the campfire.

The Polynesian Islands:

The Polynesian Islands are located in the South Pacific. There, it is considered originated the most beautiful and mastered of ancient tattooing. There, they generally have larger tattoos, generally on most of their faces. Sadly, in the 19thcentury, tattooing was banned on many of their islands. This unfortunately led to the loss of many of their tattooing traditions and designs.

Hawaii:

Traditionally, tattooing in Hawaii would portray a person's social status. The tattoos there also were not only for decoration, but also provided spiritual and physical protection. In Hawaii, tattoos often contain lizards, sea turtles, tropical flowers and other symbols of their ancient traditions.

Samoa:

The tattoo in Samoa is very important in signifying social class. It is a very special affair when the Chief's son is tattooed. Their tattoos generally cover the lower torso down to the knee, much like a pair of shorts. Generally, these tattoos are given when the child reaches their teen years, marking their entry into adulthood.

Japan:

Japanese tattooing has had a very large influence on what we know as tattooing today. Military personnel would come back from Japan with Japanese designs such as large, intricate dragons. Western artists would copy these designs or get these tattoos themselves. Some have said that today's tattooing practices are a combination of the old western style and those Japanese tattoo styles. Many western tattoo artists specialize in Japanese style tattooing.

Marking Criminals:

In earlier times, Japan came to adopt some of their practices from China. In China, tattooing was used to mark criminals, as it was considered a form of punishment. Japan started using tattooing as a replacement for the death penalty. They perfected a design that would identify criminals. This marking put them in the lowest social class, and caused them to disassociate from their family and friends. Tattooing eventually became popular again, and at this point, other types of punishment started to take form as replacements.

The Beginnings of Modern Day Tattooing:

Sailors that came into contact with the different cultures began to collect tattoos, started to tattoo each other, and started bringing ideas home. These ideas eventually went to England, then to New York, where the ideas and technology flourished. It then became able to use machines to make tattoos, and between people copying the "sailors", or "circus freaks" the western world started to be curious. With today's television shows like "Miami Ink", tattooing has really become mainstrea