Postby Snake_byte » Mon Jun 27, 2005 3:17 pm
I just did some research from the collection of Ecyclopidia Britanica here and this is what is said about tattoos:
Tattoo, permanent marks or designs made on the body by introduction of pigment through ruptures in the skin. Sometimes the term is loosly applied also to scarification. Tattooing proper has been practiced in most parts of the world, though it is rare among populations with the darkest skin color ans absent from mos of China (at least in recent centuries). Tattooed designs are thought by various peoples to provide magical protection against sickness or misfortune, or they serve they identify the wearers rank, status, or membership in a group. Decoration is perhaps the most common motive for tattooing.
Tattos have bben found on Egyptian mummies dating back from about 2000 BC, Tharcians, greeks, Gauls, ancient Germans, and ancient Britons; the Romans tattoed their slaves and criminals. After the advant of Christianity, tattoing was forbiddin in Europe but persisted in the Near East and other parts of the world.
Many Native American tribes customarily tattooed the body, face, or both. The usual technique was simple pricking but some California tribes introduced color into scratches, and many tribes in the colder climates made needle punctures
through which a thread coated with pigment (usually soot) was drawn underneath the skin. In Polynesia, Micronesia, and parts of Malaysia, pigment was pricked into the skin by tapping on an implement shaped like a little rake. In moko, a type of Maori tattooing from New Zealand, shallow colored grooves in complex curvilinear designs were produced on the face by striking a miniature BONE ADZE into the skin. In Japan, needles set in a wooden handle are used to make tattoo very elaborate multicolored designs, in many cases covering much of the body. Burmese tattooing is done with a brass penlike impliment with a slit point and a wieght on the other end.
So there we have it folks. i didn't type all that was in there but the most important things we're looking at are all there.

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