Tattooing is, in fact, a prehistoric art. Icemen from as long ago as 3000 B.C. have been found, mummified, with tattoo designs still marking their skin. In fact, the most well known of these mummies, nickname Otzi, had over 57 tattoos stretching along the length of his body that had clear spiritual and health related origins. The earliest methods of tattooing involved opening a wound in the skin, then rubbing some type of colored substance into the wound to create a color beneath the skin when the wound healed. These tattoos were very painful, and often played a major role in the rites of passage from boyhood to manhood and girlhood to womanhood. A man or woman who could stand such pain was well prepared for the hard life of a hunter and provider or the pains of childbirth. Men who could not bear the process might be unattractive mates, and women who could not stand the injury were thought to be infertile because they certainly would be unable to bear childbirth.
Once a design was drawn on the skin and met with the artist's liking and “sometimes” the approval of the person getting the tattoo, it would be traced carefully with a sharp object like a stone, a bone carefully shaved down to a razor edge, or a stake that might be pounded with a small mallet to open the skin. Once the lower layers of the skin were exposed, ashes, colored clays or other substances would be rubbed in the wound. Often the designs were literally carved several times into the flesh with new ink being applied each time in order to make the tattoo design stand out better against the skin. Siberian tribes and their descendents to this day often use a technique called sewing to create tattoos. This painful method is nearly identical to regular sewing. A sharp, fine needle would be threaded with a tendon or string dyed with colored ink or dipped in another staining substance like mud or wet ashes. Then, the needle would be used to puncture the skin and draw the string through the upper layers of the skin. As the string passed under the skin, the colored substance would rub off and remain visible under the skin. The string itself would be removed, re-dipped and then used again. These tattoos tend to form straight lines or dots, and are much less elaborate than their carved counterparts. Some Inuit tribes still use this method today.
In Japan, a small tool similar to a rake was used for many years to create elaborate and beautiful tattoos based on gorgeous wood block print designs. Tattoo masters practiced their trade in secret for many centuries because tattoos were often outlawed in Japan or restricted to criminals and slaves. These tattoos were very elaborate and often covered the back, shoulders, upper legs and buttocks of the people being tattooed. Until the 20th century, these tattoos were nearly entirely restricted to men, and many Japanese tattoo masters still tattoo only by appointment, and in privacy. Finally, the Maoris of New Zealand, who are well known for their contributions to the highly stylized, contemporary tribal tattoos that are becoming increasingly popular among men and women of all ages around the world, actually carved grooves into their skin with sharpened bones and a mallet. These tattoos were deeply painful, and largely engraved on the face. Many people enjoy this type of art today, but prefer to get it using a conventional tattoo gun and adapt it to fit other parts of their body. The Maori themselves still use the old methods in many cases, though the introduction of metal by the European explorers did cause many of them to abandon their bones and mallets. However, for the Maori as for many other people who get tattoos, the process is as important as the end result. They actually have two separate words for the act of tattooing and the tattoo itself, Ta Moko, which means “to chisel” and Moko, which is the actual tattoo design. As more and more people began traveling the world, tattoo methods became more mixed and people adapted the methods to suit their needs. Some sailors enjoyed getting tattoos from everywhere using the native method in each location, and avid tattoo collectors continue this tradition today. However, for the most part, people like to keep their tattoo experience as painless and sanitary as possible. As a result, even people who get traditional tattoo designs tend to stick to modern tattoo equipment whenever possible.
