Because tattooing was not only a symbolic of wealth, but also represented strength and power, chiefs and warriors usually had the most elaborate tattoos (History 2006). Therefore, men who had no tattoos were held in little regard and even despised, while men whose bodies were totally tattooed, "the to-oata," were held in great esteem (History 2006).
When a female reached the age of twelve years, her right hand was tattooed, after which she was then allowed to prepare meals and participate in the rubbing of dead bodies with coconut oil (History 2006). Female tattoos were generally less extensive than those for men, and were usually "limited to the hand, arm, feet, ears and lips," however, women of social status and wealth might also have their legs tattooed (History 2006).
Author Steve Gilbert writes that because religion was such an integral part of all daily activities, "it was not that tattooing in and of itself was religious, but all activity was defined, controlled and limited by taboos, and overseen by spirits" (Hawthorne 2001). Therefore, tattooing was considered to serve as a "symbolic connection between the individual, the group and the Gods" (Hawthorne 2001). This would be especially potent due to the...
Tattoo Removal The history of tattooing is a long and varied one. "A tattoo is a permanent mark or design made on the body when pigment is inserted into the dermal layer of the skin through ruptures in the skin's top layer." ("How Tattoo Removal Works," 2004). A more recent development in this area, however, is the issue of tattoo removal. Only recently have advances in technology made it possible to
Along with being a working class symbol, tattoos have ostracized many foreign cultures from modern societies (Atkinson, 2004). For hundreds of years, continuing into today's world, scholarly views of tattooing have labeled the practice as deviant, abnormal, and anti-social, (Atkinson, 2004). Many Europeans and Americans frowned upon tattoos as being symbols of primitivism and heathenism. Also, tattoos have been used in prisons and in criminal organizations as marking devices.
The focus can be taken into the direction of the introduction and utilization of more secure inks that will have a compatibility with the laser technologies available currently (Adatto, 2004). Conclusion: The appliance and removal of tattoos is not a new phenomenon. The methods though have drastically changed with the passage of time and the advent and advancement of technology. The laser technology has drastically changed the whole scenario of tattoo
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