CHENNAI: Think tattoos and the first image that comes to mind are myriad versions of WWE wrestlers on superbikes, their inked dragons and cupid’s arrows glistening in the sun on sweat-stained arms that bulge from the weight of their muscles. It is a style statement that simply cannot be ignored. It sets you apart from the crowd, could also permanently damage your prospects for that dream corporate job, and sometimes, it could even seal your fate forever if stuck with an obviously tattooed name of a love long gone.
For most of us who carry this fixed image of tattooed biceps in mind, it must surely come as a surprise to know that humans have been using their skins as canvases for thousands of years. Egyptians were thought to be the earliest tattoo artists with the inked mummies providing proof of this. And then, excavating a 5,300-year-old Iceman near the Italian-Austrian border threw those beliefs out the window.
The Iceman’s frozen body was covered with 57 tattoos, which seemed to be made of soot! There barely existed a culture in the millennia that did not practice tattooing, although the reasons varied across communities. The ancient Egyptians marked their women with ink, while the ancient Greeks initially, used tattoos as a way to communicate among spies and later, used them to mark slaves and criminals to prevent them from escaping. The Romans soon adopted this practice too. Some civilisations like the Mayan used them for rituals whereas early Europeans marked themselves to indicate that they desired a Christian burial.
India’s tattooing history dates back to prehistoric times and spans thousands of years. Rock paintings that are almost 10,000 years old show figures adorned with body art. Historical texts and artefacts left behind are the only evidence of such practices in ancient times, due to the dearth of human skin from those periods. Archaeological evidence unearthed from the Indus Valley civilisation sites has revealed figurines with body art. Gradually over time, tattoos became a stamp of one’s identity, especially among tribal and rural communities in mediaeval India.
When the country had to succumb to the rule of the colonisers, these indigenous traditions were looked down upon, by the British especially, as being too primitive. However, they could not break through the persistence of these communities in upholding their traditions. Their resilience shone through and kept it alive. There may not be any Indian household that does not own the memory of an obsolete ancestor with an indelible ink mark on their arms. Women considered it as a beauty enhancer and wore it with pride.Modern India has seen a resurgence of interest in tattoo art in urban society, with the turn of the millennium. It has been sought after as a means of self-expression and the perfect way to quietly rebel by proclaiming one’s personal beliefs with unerasable statements on skin.
The human body has been man’s first canvas. The indelible tattoo has survived across time and cultures and will continue to do so, telling the stories of our evolution. Time to get yourself one to tell your story!