Tattooing was a primitive practice that had died out
in Europe as Christian civilization advanced, but had survived elsewhere
in the 'uncivilized' world. The Christian body was to be marked only as
a sign of shame, which meant the branding of medieval criminals and
slaves. But when 18th-century European sailors rediscovered the tattoo
among Pacific islanders, they brought this new form of exotic art back
to Europe. Some 19th-century writers saw this irruption of primitive
practices in modern Europe as evidence that the tattooed were themselves
dated. Tattoos were outward signs of an inherently degenerate criminal
character because it spread among lower-class men, becoming especially
popular among the unsettled and the marginal, men outside 'normal'
society, who had little status and too much empty time, for example,
soldiers in barracks, convicts in prison.
The Greeks used tattooing for communication among spies. Markings
identified the spies and showed their rank. Romans marked criminals and
slaves. This practice is still carried on today. The Ainu people of
western Asia used tattooing to show social status. Girls coming of age
were marked to announce their place in society, as were the married
women. The Ainu are noted for introducing tattoos to Japan where it
developed into a religious and ceremonial rite. In Borneo, women were
the tattooists. It was a cultural tradition. Dayak warriors who had "taken
a head" had tattoos on their hands. The tattoos garnered respect
and assured the owners status for life. Polynesians developed tattoos to
mark tribal communities, families, and rank. They brought their art to
New Zealand and developed a facial style of tattooing called Moko, which
is still being used today. There is evidence that the Mayan, Incas, and
Aztecs used tattooing in the rituals. Even the isolated tribes in Alaska
practiced tattooing, their style indicating it was learned from the
Ainu.
The Danes, Norse, and Saxons tattooed family crests which is a
tradition still practiced today. Pope Hadrian banned tattooing in 787
AD. It still thrived in Britain until the Norman Invasion of 1066. The
Normans despised tattooing. It disappeared from Western culture from the
12th to the 16th centuries.
