Among the most devoutly tattooed groups anywhere is
the community of Ramnaamis. Scattered across the Indian states of Bihar
and Madhya Pradesh, this sect of untouchables found refuge from harm in
their distinctive tattoos the name "Ram" repeated in Sanskrit
on practically every inch of skin, even on the tongue and inside the
lips. Ramnaamis began their extraordinary custom during the Hindu
reformist movement of the 19th century when they angered the upper-caste
Brahmins by adopting Brahminical customs. To protect themselves against
the Brahmins' wrath, the Ramnaamis tattooed the name of Lord Ram on
their bodies. About 1,500 strong today, the Ramnaami community still
practices this painful rite, which is as much a demonstration of
devotion as a talisman against persecution.
With a rich tradition and thousands of Deities, Hinduism itself is
today the source of countless tattoo designs. Tattoos depicting popular
Gods such as Shiva, Ganesha and Kali or sacred symbols like "Om"
adorn the flesh of Hindus and non-Hindus alike. Some of the most
elaborate tattoo patterns anywhere are on the women of the Ribari tribe
of Kutch, the very region in northwest India just devastated by an
earthquake. It is one of the places to which the Pandavas were exiled
during the Mahabharata. The members of the nomadic Ribari tribe live as
their ancestors did; their tattoos being tangible symbols of the
people's strong spirit and concern with faith and survival.
Today, many people choose a particular design not because of its power
or religious significance, but because they simply like the look of it.
Tattoos are borrowed from other traditions as well, including Native
American and Buddhist. These tattoos for fashion, of course, should not
be regarded as religious and are often offensive to those who understand
that spirituality is not simply a decoration. And beware of getting a
tattoo designed in an unfamiliar language. Last year a man in England
had a tattoo artist inscribe his wife's name on his arm in Hindi. Local
Hindi speakers spotted the tattoo and informed the man there was a
spelling error.
The Hawaiians are prominent among people who have specific tattoo gods.
In Hawaii, the images of the tattoo gods are kept in the temples of
tattoo priests. Each tattoo session begins with a prayer to the tattoo
gods that the operation might not cause death, that the wounds might
heal soon, and that the designs might be handsome. Many modern American
tattooists will tell you, "When you should get a tattoo, the tattoo
god will tell you that it is time."
