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The term 'Tattoo' is derived from 'tattau' a Tahitian term that means to pierce the body. James Cook gave the first account of tattoos from his South Pacific expedition in 1769. As soon as they reached puberty, Tahitian girls were given black tattoos on their bottom to symbolize sexual maturity. A set of three dots was tattooed on the tongues of those who were in mourning in Hawaii.
It has since been found that tattoos have actually been around for a very long time evidenced by the discovery of Egyptian and Nubian mummies and the recent unearthing of Otzi, the Ice Man, from 3300 BC.
A mind-boggling fifty seven tattoos were found on Otzi; a cross on the inside of a knee, several parallel lines on the ankles, and six straight lines 15 cm in length above the kidneys. Experts believe that, based on the position of these tattoos, that they may have been placed there for therapeutic reasons for the reduction of aches and pains.
The tattoos seen on the Egyptian and Nubian mummies gave the impression that they were placed for protection during pregnancy, labor, and childbirth. The tattoos were all located in the thighs and the abdomen and included a tattoo of Bes, the god of fertility and revelry. The Egyptian male mummies had geometrical patterns tattooed on their arms and their legs.
Maoris are well known for the tattoos on their head and face; the tattoos were done at different points of time during their life. The tattoos usually act as an ID card that contains information on ancestry, family, rank and status in society, and personal acumen. Tattooed heads of Maori warriors were in fact exchanged for guns from the Europeans in the early 19th century. Fortunately, this gory practice was banned in 1831 and with it ended the import of human heads.
Tattoos were called 'stigmata' by the ancient Romans and Greeks and usually symbolised slave ownership and criminality. Tattoos were very popular with Roman soldiers and with the expansion of the Roman Empire, these tattoos too reached everywhere.
The Crusades saw the widespread use of tattoos in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries but totally disappeared soon after and reappeared only much later in Western civilization. Great Britain, interestingly, gets its name from 'tattooing'; The translation of the word 'Briton' is 'people of the designs'. In all of Europe, it is the Brits who hold the distinction of being the most tattooed.
In 2010, a survey revealed that about 25% of Australians under the age of 30 had at least one tattoo. Growing intercultural influences have contributed to the evolution of tattoos and now a tattoo could act as a simple form of adornment, a declaration of true love, a symbol of rank, or as a sign of religious belief.
