On our journey today, we come to an interesting sect of people whose home is the sea, sailors. Although, the earliest remnants of tattoos originated in Egypt, sailors along the coasts of Tahitian and Samoan lands brought about what was finally identified as “Tatau.” “Sydney Parkinson, the artist on...[one of the] first voyage[s] of 1768-1771 recorded [this] Tahitian term.” (Thomas 33) The observance of such an art inspired these sailors to bring “Tatau” as a trade of art to the South Seas and beyond. Many historians credit these Barbary pirates with the discovery of tattoos, when in fact; tattoos have been believed to exist far before then. “American historian Ira Dye...believes that it must predate the early 1770s...[she] argue[s] that by the end of the century tattooing was so prevalent throughout the American merchant and naval fleets that its introduction a mere twenty years earlier was an impossibility.” (Caplan 142) “Tatau” throughout the South Seas was a large factor in the spread of tattooing in both European and American culture and brought about the beginnings of today’s modern tattooing styles. So, before you step foot into that tattoo shop, think about the sailors who brought this to America. I bet they opened a bottle of rum right before they opened a bottle of ink.
Thomas, Nicholas, Anna Cole, and Bronwen Douglas, eds. Tattoo: Bodies, Art, and Exchange in the Pacific and the West. Durham: Duke UP, 2005. Print.
Caplan, Jane, ed. Written on the Body: the Tattoo in European and American History. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton UP, 2000. Print.
"Cussin Sams Shiver Me Timber." Cartoon. Pirate Mod. Web. 23 Apr. 2010.
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