Tatoo
TatooTATTOO (v) To mark Skin with indelible patterns by puncturing it and inserting a dye to make a pattern in this way - (n) a tattooed pattern The body-marking techniques of tattooing, have been used in a vast range of cultures, both ancient and contemporary, for decoration and for communicative purposes. The markings may give information about group membership, rank, and status. Body painting may also indicate the particular social role one is playing at a given time and express social and religious values. Tattooing, the introduction of pigment through punctures in the skin to create patterns, was practiced in ancient Egypt. Some of the most elaborate tattoos have been found among the cultures of Oceania--for example, the MAORI of New Zealand tattoo complex spiral designs on the face and buttocks. Traditionally, fine tattoos have been to them a sign of good breeding. The word tattoo is derived from a Tahitian term. Sailors showed an early interest in the tattoos of the Pacific, and the practice of tattooing has persisted among seamen. Tattooing techniques vary widely--for example, the Eskimo use bone needles to draw soot-covered thread through the skin, and the Japanese use fine metal needles and multicolored pigments. Scarring, or cicatrization, is most common in the cultures of Africa, Australia, and Melanesia. In the initiation rites of boys among the Nuer of the Sudan, six cuts are made across the forehead and remain for life as scars. Finer tattoolike patterns are chiseled onto the faces of young female initiates of the Kaoka-speakers of the Solomon Islands. In each case the practice serves to mark a new stage of life. In some African and Australian societies raised weals, or keloids, are created by rubbing irritants into a wound. Body painting is most commonly practiced for participation in ceremonies, feasting, and dancing. Among the people of Mount Hagen, New Guinea, it is used as part of a complex of...
To view the complete essay, you be registered.