Tattoos+in+Different+Cultures

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﻿Each culture has their own traditions and their own way of doing things. Our culture effects the way that we communicate with others. Tattoos play a huge rule in many cultures. Some cultures tattoo to show strength and dedication, while others show stature and rank. Each culture has its own way of tattooing, what the tattoos stand for, and what types of tattoos people within the culture get. People view different culture's tattoos differently then their own culture's tattoos.

Native American tattoos have an entirely different type of significance than today's American tattoos. American Indian tattoos have more of a spiritual meaning and   tend to symbolize between the earth and their spiritual being. Some Native Americans were tattooed as of maturity, while others were tattooed to signify their self identification. Although Native Americans didn't have tattoo guns, they manged to do their own tattoos with the help of sharp objects and self-made dyes. The skinwas cut and the dye was placed into the wound, so that when it was completely healed, the color would be exposed. This was an extremely painful procedure, but apparently, it was worth it to the Native Americans.

 Although tattooing is very popular in the in China, the Han Chinese (the majority ethnic group) believe that tattoos are connected with criminals, gangs, and bandits. They believe the body is an endowment of their parents and a continuance of the bloodline of their relatives. In the Chinese culture, destruction of the body is a serious offense. Tattooing is commonly not accepted by the community.  Since pre-Hispanic colonization of the Philippines, tattooing has been an #|element of Filipino tribal life. In the Philippines, tattooing is a form of social ranking and accomplishments. Some thought that tattoos had magical capabilities. The Bontoc Igorot, Ifugao, and Kalina tribes (who were famous for head hunting), #|received a tattoo when they had taken the head of another tribe. Woman in the tribal societies also tattooed themselves because tattooing was a form of beauty for woman. Woman in tribes of the Luzon Mountains had full arm and chest tattooing, while the Visayas and Mindaneo women had only their hands and wrists tattooed.

The Japanese began tattooing for spiritual and decorative purposes during approximately 10,000 BCE. From 1603-1868, Japanese tattooing was only used by fireman, manual workers, and prostitutes. These tattoos were used to communicate the status of the individual that was tattooed. Between 1720-1870, criminals were tattooed as a #|form of punishment instead of having their ears and noses removed. These people were said to have no place in society and were separated from the mainstream society because of the visible tattoos.

People in the Middle East would cut themselves and rub ash on their wounds during a period of mourning after someone had died. This was considered a symbol of respect for the dead. The ash that was rubbed into the wounds came from funeral pyres that were used to cremate the bodies. To Middle Easterners, they were carrying a literal reminder of the deceased in forms of tattoos.

 In Samoa tradition, the male tattoo is called the pe'a and the tattoo is called the malu.   The skill of tattooing is often passed from generation to gen eration. A young artists often spent days, tapping designs into bark using a specially designed comb. In order to honor their traditions, Samoan tattoo artist used sharpened boar s fastened together with turtle shell to give tattoos. they would hit this come with a mallet to embed the tattoo 'into the skin. The tattooing process could take up to 5 sessions spread out over 10 days. The Samoan society would have tattooing ceremonies for young chiefs.

Latino

The culture of Latinos is a proud and vibrant one, with many different symbols and images being prevalent in Latino households, ranging from religious to very secular. Most Latinos in the US are very proud of their roots, and they can choose to show that pride with Latino tattoos. There are several different things that spring to mind when speaking of Latino images and tattoos. Most Latinos are Roman Catholic in their religious practices - and this adds a lot to the images seen in Latino households and in Latino tattoos. Images such as the virgin Mary, the sacred heart and Jesus are very popular among Catholic Latinos. Race would play a significant role in this culture, It is based on the physical characteristics of a group (latino's) of people who are also classified together because of a common history, nationality, or geographical location. A person's racial classification is typically based on visible physiological attributes. A lot of the time you will see the virgin mary tattoo on Latinos for religious beliefs.

Prison Tattoo Culture
 * A teardrop tattoo is mostly associated with prisoners, convicts, gangsters, thugs, suffering or the loss of a loved one. But for every individual, a teardrop tattoo may mean something else depending upon the location of his teardrop tattoo and as a symbol it will be treated the same way. Sometimes a teardrop tattoo may symbolize the membership of a gang. Teardrop tattoos in prison signify the number of killings the wearer has in his criminal record. It is a tattoo that is also inked for every five years of hard suffering time a person has served in prison. **** Teardrop tattoo may also indicate that a person has murdered someone in his/her life inside or outside the prison. Although teardrop tattoos have multiple meanings, most of the teardrop tattoos that we see in mainstream culture today imply that the wearer has killed someone. **


 * In my opinion I feel as if these tattoos like the teardrops that can symbolize death or a killing are tied into the concept of Self and Disclosure to others. It seems as though they want people to physically know someone they knew has died or they were involved in some criminal act. It is like they are providing this information to others not verbally but by a physical appearance.**