Dear manga-ga;
No problem. Thank you for allowing me an opportunity to answer your
interesting question. I?ve been able to find a few historical and
early cultural references to tattooing, piercing and other body art
and modification in relation to grief and mourning. I hope these help
you:
?Scholars agree that scarification (including branding and
"cicatrisation," the method of intentional scarring which produces
raised welts called keloids) was limited for thousands of years to
peoples of dark skin, for whom tattooing was a less viable option.
(Most authorities consider tattooing scarification, as well.) It
traditionally signified social status: mourning, marital state, sexual
prowess or tribal position, but a variety of other examples can be
seen among the Chinese, East Indians, and South American tribes.?
The Body More Beautiful
http://www.wholelifetimes.com/body_beautiful.html
?Cicatrisation: scarring of the body. There are three kinds for
adults, either mourning, fighting, or decorative.?
INSIDE BLACK AUSTRALIA
http://vate.customer.netspace.net.au/pub/gilbert.htm
?..
?In India and Tibet, there is pronounced use of the tattoo as a means
to mark time but also as a physical annulment of mental anguish, for
instance at time of profound mourning. In Hawaii, the tongue is marked
with dots and dashes to match the pain that the mourner feels inside.
The pain of the tattoo was also used to transcend and shift away from
bodily disease.?
SACRED SKIN - SACRED ART
http://www.sacredhoop.demon.co.uk/HOOP-31/TATTOO.html
COMING OF AGE WEARING THE ART OF POLYNESIAN CULTURE
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2001/12/30/LV173279.DTL
?..
Some Muslims celebrate Ashoura Day, the anniversary of the death of
Imam Hussein, during Muharram, the month of mourning for Shiite
Muslims by mutilating their bodies and the bodies of their children.
Their resulting scarification is a testament to their faith.
Ashoura (Warning: graphic images)
http://www.wirephoto.com/jenwallace/Features/Ashoura.html
?..
In Biblical times scarification and tattooing in response to mourning
were fairly common pagan rituals, expressly forbidden in the Christian
Holy Bible:
Lev 19:27 Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt
thou mar the corners of thy beard.
Lev 19:28 Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead,
nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.
BLUE LETTER BIBLE (KJV)
http://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/Lev/Lev019.html#27
It was also historically forbidden in Jewish law by The Torah:
TORAH
http://bible.ort.org/books/torahd5.asp?action=displayid&id=3306
?..
?Tattooing was an integral part of most Pacific Island cultures. It
was far more than merely a bodily ornament. In the Marquesas and New
Zealand warriors were tattooed to appear more threatening. In Hawaii,
names of the deceased were inscribed on the body, and the tongue was
tattooed as a sign of mourning.?
THE SAMOAN TRADITIONAL TATTOO
http://samoantattoo.tattooing-piercings.com/
?In the 1820's, Hawaiian Queen Kamamalu had her toungue tattooed as an
expression of grief when her mother-in-law passed away. William Ellis,
a missionary, was a witness to this event. He had inquired about the
pain she must be enduring while being tattooed, her reply was,"Ha eha
nui no,he nui roa r k'aroha.", which means "Great pain indeed, greater
is my affection".
TATTOOED WOMEN : NOT JUST A FAD
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/tattoos/99713
?Occasionally, even the tongue was tattooed on both men and women as a
sign of grief! Tattoos for the sake of grieving continued to be the
focus for Hawaiian people to show their loyalty for family and loved
ones. Upon the death of Kamehameha the Great in 1819, several
Hawaiians tattooed his name and date of death on their bodies to show
respect for the great king. Today, Hawaiians tattoo names and dates
upon their bodies to honor loved ones.?
TATTOOS: WEARABLE ART HAWAIIAN STYLE
http://www.mauitime.com/v02iss02/commun.html
?..
?Mourning: In India, tattoos are applied as a sign of mourning. The
greater the grief, the more the mourners suffer with tattoos. This
suffering can go so far that the people left behind actually pull out
their teeth, brand their bodies or amputate entire limbs.?
WORLD OF TATTOOS
http://www.stabilo.com/languages/gb/MAGAZINE/WORLD%20OF%20TATTOOS/
?..
?The nasal septum piercings in Australia and Papua New Guinea are
thought to enhance the cross-sensual perception of the wearer. This is
regarded as a magical or paranormal experience where one or more of
the five senses expands into the realm of the others. Such magical
effects are only one reason for tribal body decorations. The others
deal with indication of clan, tribal, or totemic group affiliation,
indication of age, social ranking, or status, marking of slaves and
criminals, a sign of mourning??
LOOKOUT
http://users.cnu.edu/~lookout/battle2.html
?..
The tradition carries on to modern day events:
New York City firefighters and police officers are choosing body art
as a way to memorialize their colleagues who died on 9/11/01. George
Bodarky reports.
http://wfuv.venaca.com/archive/2668.asx (video report)
TATTOO TRIBUTE TO 911
http://www.dcfd.com/tattoo.htm
GRIEF WAREHOUSE
http://www.griefwarehouse.org/tattoos.html
?..
?Ta Moko was worn by both men and women. It was applied to the face
and buttocks of men, and to the chin, lips and shoulders of women.
Depending on their ranking, they may also have Ta Moko on their face.
Occasionally women would put small markings over their faces or
shoulders as a sign that someone close to them had died.?
One story of how Ta Moko [tattooing] came to The Maori
?One day a Maori chief, Mataora, was visited by young people from
Rarohenga (the underworld). With them was the daughter of the
underworld ruler Uetonga. Her name was Niwareka and Mataora fell in
love with her. They got married and were happy together until one day
Mataora became jealous of Niwareka and was angry enough to hit her. So
she returned home to the underworld. Mataora, grieving over his
actions, followed her to Uetonga's house. Uetonga was practising
tattooing and agreed to tattoo Mataora, whose face was only painted.
During the tattooing, Mataora sung of his sorrow and his search for
Niwareka in the underworld.?
BODY ART: TATOOING
http://www.amonline.net.au/bodyart/tattooing/tamoko.htm
?..
I hope these help you find much more information for your project.
Below you will find that I have carefully defined my search strategy
for you in the event that you need to search for more information. By
following the same type of searches that I did you may be able to
enhance the research I have provided even further. I hope you find
that my research exceeds your expectations. If you have any questions
about my research please post a clarification request prior to rating
the answer. Otherwise, I welcome your rating and your final comments
and I look forward to working with you again in the near future. Thank
you for bringing your question to us.
Best regards;
Tutuzdad ? Google Answers Researcher
INFORMATION SOURCES
Defined above
SEARCH STRATEGY
SEARCH ENGINES USED:
Google ://www.google.com
SEARCH TERMS USED:
Tattoo
Piercing
Scarring
Branding
Body art
Body modification
Death
Loss
Sorrow
Grief
Bereavement
History
Culture
Early
Ancient |
