As we motored out of the marina, the local pirate ship chugged by. All on board were bedecked in pirate paraphernalia, hoop earrings, toy scimitars, fake parrots, and eye patches.  They yelled  “Arr” as we waved them by.  It was clear by the state of their tattered sails that this ship had no hope of being under sail.  In spite of our captain’s best efforts, nor had ours.  All the same, we had a beautiful morning puttering among the inshore islands and viewing our lives from a whole new perspective. Since our skipper was not preoccupied with the rigging and tacking and gybing, we got to know one another – and when we discovered his son is a tattoo artist – unexpectedly I had the topic for this post, the history and artistry of tattoos.

I have to declare an interest here as I have a tattoo, “inked” when I was in my early forties. I am not quite sure if my mother has forgiven me for it to this day!

Turns out there is evidence of tattooing reaching back at least five thousand years, and the practice has been prevalent across almost all cultures.  My mother’s dismay may have been fueled by the then-common belief that tattoos were a mark of crime or a marginalized lifestyle, such as prostitution.  And indeed, tattooing was and presumably is prevalent in prisons and among gang members.  Apparently, the Japanese tattooing tradition was supported by the Japanese mafia.  Also, sad to say, slaves and war prisoners were marked with tattoos and brands to declare their lowly status. On the other hand, tattoos were associated with the aristocracy who could travel to exotic places to acquire them, and there was a tradition of getting a tattoo as a souvenir of religious pilgrimage, especially to the Holy Land.

A tattoo is created when ink is introduced between the skin’s epidermis and dermis, by pricking or tapping with a needle or, more commonly in the last hundred years, by using an electric tattooing machine. Tattoos exploded in popularity at the end of the last century as some of the taboos associated with the practice faded away.  At one time, tattoos were a sign of machismo, sometimes associated with military service or violence, and it was rare to see a woman openly bearing tattoos, and rarer still to find a female tattoo artist.  Lunch after our sailing adventure was served by a young woman who had intricate tattoo designs on both arms.  How times have changed! 

The art of tattooing has evolved as well, with ever more sophisticated styles and techniques.  Some body artists, like Nikko Hortado and Kat Von D, are now as renowned and sought after as the famous painters and sculptors of former years.

“And why,” perhaps you ask, “would anyone want to endure the pain and expense of having a design permanently inscribed on their body?”

Beyond the need for self-expression and to claim a unique identity, there are several reasons, including rebellion against convention, to memorialize or celebrate someone or something, to identify with a peer group who all bear similar marks, or simply because many tattoos express beauty.

Just in case any of you are holding your breath over my tattoo, I can share I did it to break the mold of being middle-class and, at the time, middle-aged.  I chose a small blue dolphin that curves around my ribs, mimicking the graceful arc of its body.  Although my mum probably wishes it were otherwise, I have never regretted it.

And, as we approached the marina after our non-sailing trip, an unexpected dolphin breached the waters!  Too cool!!

End Notes

Reading

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The Ballard of Wallis Island

Listening

Ave Verum
William Byrd

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Warsan Shire
Read by Sir Jonathon Pryce