29 May /13

Tattoo

Today it is Captain Cook, Part 2:

The journals comment extensively on tattooing, which was first observed in Tahiti, but then later in New Zealand. An entry from 1769 states “Both sexes paint their bodies tattoo as it is called in their language. This is done by inlaying the colour of black under their skins in such a manner as to be indelible.” In the Polynesian language the word “tatau” related to this indelible marking. When Cook’s journals become a bestseller on his return home, and a process which had been part of everyday life in the South Seas for thousands of years entered general English usage.

And tattoos are now no longer a marginal activity. A relatively recent bestseller published in 2005 has a tattoo in its title – Stieg Larsson’s “The girl with the dragon tattoo”. The crime novel by the late Swedish author and journalist had sold over 3.4 million copies in hardcover or ebook formats and 15 million copies altogether, in the United States and has been a hit film in two versions already. Among the most famous tattoos chosen by the generations are stars, crosses, wings, angels, dragons, phoenix, butterflies, fairies and lions. In 2010 25 % of Australians under age 30 had tattoos,  2013 research suggests that over a fifth of American adults are tattooed.