FD4 One Thousand Words Equals Tatau

Cara Kamehiro
May 5, 2011
FD4

One Thousand Words Equals Tatau

A picture is said to be worth a thousand words. Yet it is known that actions speak louder than words. There are many different types of art from paintings, sculpture, photography, sketching and even tattooing. Many might not consider tattooing to be a form of art. Tattoos date back in history for over a thousand years in each culture from the tiny islands in the Pacific Ocean to the huge countries like China.   Many cultures like the Japanese and the Polynesians consider tattoos a form of art, and have been displaying this art for over thousands of years. The art of tattooing is a story of each persons journey in life, and a way of making the body "beautiful." The human body is an amazing work of art itself of evolution. Who would have thought that the body could be used as a canvas for artists around the world? A picture in someones' living room or bed room can define the whole room or even the whole house. [Thesis] A picture is worth a thousand words and if actions speak louder than words, is a tattoo a picture of a thousand words or an action that speaks louder than the picture? [Thesis]

Tattoos in Polynesia has been around since the 1400s, and was believed to be the start of this tattoo art. The word tattoo can be broken down into two parts: 'ta' which means striking something and the word 'tatau' which means to mark something. 'Tatau' is used in the little islands of Polynesia like Tahiti, Tonga, and Samoa. In Hawaii instead of the word tatau the Hawaiians use the word 'kakau.' Another way of breaking down the word tattoo is 'tata' means repeatedly done by hand and 'u' means color. When the westerners came to Polynesia the word 'tatau' became tattoo. These Polynesian tattoos are not just for show. They define who you are, your role in society, what you do-like a job, battles you won or people you killed in battles. These tribal tattoos are a sign of protection. The Polynesians believed that the right tattoo would shield you from bodily harm and evil spirits.

In Samoa tatau means honor, strength and virtue of Samoa. This is what they believe tattoos represent on their bodies. Polynesians used tools made by hand from the barbs of a fishes tail, birds' beak, or the boars' tooth. There are many different names for this tool like 'tapulu,' 'nefo,' and 'moli.' Since Polynesia has different cultures they all have different names for different things. In which ever language, this tool is known as the modern day needles. Their needles look like a hair comb that is 1-2 inches wide and has 30-40 teeth. Today they use metal instead of bones of animals. This metal or bone is attached to a wooden stick used for the handle. The needles are dipped in the ink made from the burnt soot of Kukui nuts and are tapped into the skin by a stick called 'sausau' by the Samoans.

These tattoos would be received after a child goes through the adolescence stage and becomes the man of the house. This means taking on more responsibilities and more chores like work as a fisher or a hunter. These tattoos of the adolescence is a passage into adulthood, a mark that a transformation occurred in their life. Another reason to get a tattoo would be after accomplishing a milestone in life, for instance after graduating college or high school, or succeeding in work and settling down in life. Usually in Samoa the men have tattoos from their waist down to the end of their knees. This is a long process of 1-2 weeks and Samoans would need a tattoo to enter a chiefs' house. After getting this full body tattoo completed in Samoa you were believed to be a better man, like to be reborn.

Till today the art of tattoos by the Polynesians is a very spiritual process. The person receiving the tattoo usually does not tell the artist what he or she wants. The artist decides what is to be imprinted on each persons' skin based on where they want the tattoo and the reasoning for their tattoo. The artist allows the sketch pen to flow freely by what is believed to be the gods drawings. This is why the tattoos are known to be a spiritual form of art. Each artist has 2-3 men who help stretch the skin for an easier process. The skin stretchers are believed to help share and relieve the pain from the "patient" through their hands.

In Japan the art of tattoos were believed to start over fifteen hundred years ago. The earliest evidence of tattoos in Japan were on life size clay figurines sculpted after real people when they died. These tattoos were supposedly religious and magical in the after life to protect them from the unknown. In the middle ages Japanese government banned certain theaters, paintings, and dresses known as kimonos. Since these dresses and paintings were banned, the Japanese would tattoo their whole body known as body suits that were colorful tattoos that looked like the kimonos and the paintings. This body suit looked like clothes on a person, even though they were basically naked.

In 297 AD the Chinese saw these behaviors of the Japanese and in all of Chinese context, tattoos were always negative. During the seventh century most of the Chinese cultures were adopted by the Japan rulers. In a result of these rulers, the tattoo became a form of punishment instead of an art. In 720 AD was the first record of tattooing used as a punishment. After the sixth century tattooing was used to identify criminals and outcasts. Outcasts would be marked with a cross on their inner forearm, a straight line on either their outer forearm or upper arm. For criminals there were different symbols tattooed on their arms or  sometimes forehead that symbolized where the crime was committed in Japan. For instance there were symbols of pictograph dogs, patterned bars, crosses, double lines, or circles that all depended on what area of Japan the crime took place in. Any tattoo till today on any part of your body, any picture, character or symbol is looked down upon in Japan. Family members find it dishonorable and the community makes it hard for someone with a tattoo to find a job and to live in Japan. Tattooing was the worst sort of punishment you could get for being an outcast or for committing a crime.

Today tattooing has changed in so many ways. There is only one needle and it is attached to a handheld tool that moves it up and down at a rate of several hundred vibrations per minute. This needle penetrates the skin about one millimeter deep and is electrical, which means no pounding by hand and a faster process. The tattoos today have fancier symbols, figures, and pictures than just the ancient geometric shapes and lines.

People still get body suits like the ancient Japanese but they are not displayed how the Japanese use to. People with tattoos in Japan are known to be the Yakuza, or the under ground gangs. People with Polynesian font phrases and the ancient symbols of Polynesians are usually the people who still have the Hawaiian, Tahitian, Tongan, or Samoan blood in them. There are tattoos of pictures, shapes, and phrases with meanings to their lives and their journeys. In Hawaii, tattoos are viewed harsher than how the ancient Hawaiians viewed tattoos. It used to be a norm, a gift, an honor to get a tattoo in the past, and today it is viewed as unnatural, a choice, and is looked down upon if you have a tattoo. Tattoos used to identify a persons' job and now it is harder to find a job with a tattoo. Tattoos would identify a persons' strength, honor, role in society, and now people just stereotype people with tattoos.

Another way tattoos have differed from the past is the ancient Polynesians had a tattoo called henna. The henna tattoo is the ink from an acidic plant that is pounded into the skin that lasts only six months to a year. This was a temporary tattoo used to mark the death of a loved one. Since today henna tattoos are not pounded in the skin, and only applied to the surface of the skin, they only last for a couple of months instead of six months to a year. There is now cosmetic tattoos like the eye liner, eye brows, and lip lining tattoos which is permanent make up.

Tattoos have spread to places all over the world. It is said to have started in the Polynesian triangle. To have a tattoo depends on the culture you live in. Everyone is different and will have a different reason for getting the type of picture, phrase, or symbol embedded in their skin. Some use this form of art as a helpful remember of a certain moment in their life of success or accomplishment, being a better person, having a better life, to remember another form of art, or represent respect of a loved one. The human body has become a permanent living canvas to artists not only of pictures and sketches but to help make the body beautiful, like permanent make up.

A picture is said to be worth a thousand words, and multiple permanent pictures on our body makes it easy for society to judge us. In the ancient days of Polynesia it would define who a person is and what they did, but since tattoos have come a long way in history, shouldn't we change and accept tattoos as a form of art again and not stereotype a person? Now the art of tattoos are frowned upon. A lot of tattoos are created by a person for their own reasons and not by the "artist" or the one who applies the tattoo. The "patients" are the artists now and all artists want is to be heard and when one sees this art displayed in such a bold way, people tend to turn a blind eye and disregard what people are trying to say. A tattoo starts off as an idea, a drawing, an emotion, and a picture, and instead of turning away at the sight of a bold statement, we should embrace it and accept what truly lies inside our minds, hearts, and skin.

_X__ Apr. 7- Intro to Paper #4: Read Guidelines for Paper #4: Literary Journalism
_X__ Apr. 11- Complete readings for paper #4: chap. 15
_L__ Apr. 15- Laulima Discussion #1.
_L__ Apr. 21- Laulima Discussion #2.
_L__ Apr. 29- RD4 due [50 pts] Review the guidelines.
_X__ May 2- Submit three RD4 evaluations. [50 pts] Review the guidelines.
_X__ May 4-9- FD4 due [150 pts] Review the guidelines.