You may have read my recent column on tattoos where I bemoaned the glut of ink. There were objections, probably from the overly tattooed, which I expected. One in particular stood out because it challenged me on the point that tattooing is a custom primarily of Pacific Islanders.
The letter writer scolded that I did “a disservice to other ethnolinguistic groups” who practice tattooing as part of their tradition. Always eager to learn something new, I wanted to know more but auwe, that was all he wrote.
If this came from a student in one of my writing classes, I would have returned his letter with the note that while he makes an intriguing argument regarding the historic application of tattoo arts beyond the Pacific, he should have included an example or two. Call me old school but I don’t agree with pontification without proof.
He offered none but it got me wondering about other groups that might have refined the art of tattooing. I asked the guy I live with if he knew of any and he immediately answered: the vikings. I know he didn’t mean the Hilo High Vikings because sadly, he is not an alum and cannot at the drop of a hat burst into “Beneath the tropic skies of Hilo.” When I asked how he knew that the real vikings had tattoos, he said he saw it in a late night movie. Ah. Factoid from popular media. This seems to be a trend, along with tattoos.
So I did some research and although evidence is scant, there are records suggesting that when marauding vikings invaded other countries, they not only wore eye liner but included dark drawings on the rest of their body. The conclusion regarding Nordic tats? None. Perhaps the vikings painted themselves for battle but unclear and unknown is whether these were tattoos. There is nothing to confirm that their body markings were either temporary or permanent.
I delved further and found that tattooing was used to intimidate foes in Aztec culture, and Mexican tattoo parlors today continue the tradition. The art of tattoo was practiced further south in some other areas of the Americas, also for the purpose of intimidation.
My admonishing letter writer might have referenced ancient times, in Egypt where tattoos were a mark of nobility, and Mesopotamia, where it was used to identify slaves, prostitutes and prisoners. If you’re curious what it says in the Bible, Leviticus 19:28 states, “… do not incise any marks on yourself …”
What these examples show is that age-old ethnic traditions of tattooing have weight and meaning. I wonder if we can say the same about modern day U.S.A. where 1 in 5 adults have at least one tattoo. How should we interpret that butterfly on the buttock?
You can see there is a possible term paper regarding the origins of tattoos but all that’s needed from my objecting reader was one measly example. Otherwise, in this day and age with hoards of Americans acting on an abundance of misinformation, one might include Neo Nazis spouting hate speech as one of the historically tattooed ethnolinguistic groups.
I doubt it.
I’ll continue to assert that tattoo arts predominate in and around the Pacific but concede that there is evidence that it independently emerged in some other areas. So I mahalo the disgruntled letter-writer for prodding me to look further. However, I will stick to the point that tattoos are cultural markers carrying deep mana in ethnolinguistic groups and not simply eye-crossing body decor.
I wonder if we can agree on this.
Rochelle delaCruz was born in Hilo, graduated from Hilo High School, then left to go to college. After teaching for 30 years in Seattle, Wash., she retired and returned home to Hawaii. She welcomes your comments at rainysideview@gmail.com. Her column appears every other Monday.
