Tattoo culture
By Jerome johnston
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Essential Question
What does the mainstream appropriation of
tattoos suggest about contemporary American
culture and values?
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Tattoos are as old as man
•A part of the human experience in every time era and every culture
•Dating back to approximately 12,000 B.C.E
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otzi the iceman
Discovered in the fall of 1991
Lived approximately 5,300 years ago
Scientists believe Otzi tattooed
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Charles darwin on tattoos
 “Not one great country can be named, from the polar regions in the
north to New Zealand in the south, in which the aborigines do not
tattoo themselves.”
 .
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Tattoos in ancient cultures
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Maori
 Natives of New Zealand
Facial tattoos called moko
Signs of status and tribal belonging
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Dyak
Natives of Borneo
Tattoos commemorated head hunting expeditions
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Mentawai
Natives of remote village in Indonesia
Spider web designs mimic shadows and shapes of forest
Believed to anchor the soul inside the body
Believed to attract kind spirits
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Tattoos in western culture
1769 explorer Captain James Cook encountered tattoos during his
voyage to Tahiti
Tahitians referred to body art as tataow
Eventually the term evolved into tattoo
Z: Holm Press, 2005
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Originally associated with deviants
Tattoo population used to be made up of primarily drunken sailors,
gang members, prisoners, bikers, prostitutes, and circus freaks.
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200 Years Later: The Big Bang of Tattooing
20,000 tattoo parlors across the country
Approximately 100 parlors in Portland
16% of all American adults have at least one tattoo
Modern American cultural phenomenon
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Tattoos in pop culture
Celebrities have been making tattoos soar in mainstream culture.
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primary cultural motivations for getting tattoos
Ritual
Spirituality
Empowerment
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What is a ritual?
Ritual = act or ceremony that is often religious or a rite of passage
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Desire for ritual
Tattoos serve Americans by establishing ritual in a culture with no
communal rites
Our culture lacks unifying traditions and rituals
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African Dance Ritual
Sub-Saharan ritual practice
The dance celebrates festivals and funerals
Used to unite community
Teaches oral history
Tribal leader recites proverbs and poetry
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Rituals
The process of getting tattooed is a ritualistic rite of passage.
The wearer goes through a transformation that marks a new identity
Doug Auld, owner of Pearl District Tattoo, considers tattooing a
“sacred act” due to its permanent nature
Power to alter both the body and mind
Ritual act often involves blood (blood brothers)
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Shamanistic feel
Tattoo artist often considered shaman who performs ritual magic
Doug Auld considers himself a “guide” who helps designate a “road marker”
in his clients’ lives
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Modern Primitivism
People try to find links to ancient cultures
People frustrated by chaos of modern technology and wish to go
back in time
Also described as a “non traditional” person responding to “primal
urges”
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Modern Primitivism
 An interviewee of cultural anthropologist Margo DeMello:
“I designed my own tattoo and it consists of religious symbols from
around the world...I wanted to feel that I was a part of an earthtribe-clan-thing. I felt like I was connecting to more ancient
cultures.”
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Are you a modern primitive?
What modern technology or luxuries can’t you live without?
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Spirituality
Is not necessarily a religious practice
karma, reincarnation, enlightenment, etc.
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spiritual beauty
Not just a fashion statement
Beauty is sacred
Many tattoos are beautiful works of art
Beauty = expression of the divine
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Spirituality
Tattoo designs are rarely random (not flash)
Tattoos connect a person’s “inner being” and are a reflection of the
soul
Can memorialize the dead
Don’s Vietnam tattoo
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Spiritual imagery
Creatures such as phoenixes, dragons, mermaids, unicorns, fairies,
gargoyles, valkyries, angels and demons = spiritual protectors
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Spiritual Imagery
Lions, tigers, bears, bulls, eagles, and serpents = strength, endurance,
wisdom, & reproduction
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Tattoos and christians
Christians originally were against tattooing
Bible says it’s “unholy” to put markings on one’s body
Some Christians today get tattoos to outwardly display love of God
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Empowerment
Many in today’s culture don’t feel like they control their own bodies
Government restricts stem cell procedures, abortion, and death with
dignity
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Empowering
Tattoos are a way to rebel against society’s limitation on one’s own
body
Tattooing = basic human right for body modification
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Pain
People show inner strength by going through pain willingly
Tattooing shows people aren’t victims of suffering
The tattooed stand up to pain & conquer it
Tattoo artist Brian Crowley said, “Pain provides the vehicle for the
rite of passage”
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Cultural impulsivity
People want immediate gratification
Lack of foresight
Tattoos fulfill many positive cultural needs, but risks are involved
THINK BEFORE YOU INK
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Health Risks
Tattoo ink not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration
Ink actually contains the exact same industrial-grade colors
commonly used for printers and car paint
Common chemical in tattoo ink = arsenic (commonly used to kill
rats)
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more health risks
Exposure to blood born pathogens
Allergic reactions to the ink pigment
Infectious diseases such as Hepatitis B and C and HIV (transmitted
through unsterile needles and equipment)
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Social stigma
Job discrimination
National Association of Colleges and Employers reported 69% of
potential employers “repelled” by visible tattoos
No Walmart manager can have a visible tattoo
No Walmart employees can have visible tattoos that are “ graphic or
vulgar”
Some unions starting to fight tattoo discrimination
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Portland tattoo Expo 2010
•Held at Portland Expo Center
•3 day event
•Over 200 artists and vendors
•More than 4,500 people attended
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Works Cited
Allyn, Bobby. "Drawn to Ink." The Oregonian [Portland, OR] 25 Oct. 2010: B1. Print.
Auld, Doug. Personal interview. 22 Jan. 2011.
Cowley, Brian. Personal interview. 24 Oct. 2010.
DeMello, Margo. Bodies of Inscription: A Cultural History of the Modern Tattoo Community. Durham,
NC: Duke University Press, 2000. Print.
The Holy Bible Translated from the Latin Vulgate. Baltimore John Murphy Company,1914. Print.
Krakow, Amy. The Total Tattoo Book. New York, NY: Warner Books, 1994. Print.
Young, M. Agony & Alchemy. Prescott, AZ: Holm Press, 2005. Print.
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