A BRIEF HISTORY OF TATTOOING AND PIERCING Since the beginning of time, humans have had the desire for self-expression, to show off our individuality amongst the crowd. Whether that’s wearing colorfully dyed clothing, painting our bodies and faces, or fixing our hair a certain way. Tattooing and piercing stems from these desires and is a practice almost as old as the human race itself! Today tattoos may hold significance in the form of an accomplishment, represent a loved one, a fandom (the fan community surrounding a piece of pop culture), ties to an ancestral culture, religion, and so much more. The oldest known tattoo tools, primarily turkey leg bones with sharpened ends, were found in Tennessee in 1985 and estimated to be from around 5520 B.C.E. However, the oldest recorded evidence of a tattoo on a human was a mummy found in the Ötztal Alps in 1991, dubbed Ötzi the Iceman, dating all the way back between 3360 - 3100 B.C.E. The next widely practiced generation of tattoos were called Hand-Poke or Stick-and-Poke, created by tapping a piece of wood embedded with a thorn or specially designed tattoo needle into the skin. This practice originated from the traditional origins of non-electric tattoos and can still be seen today. These types of tattoos are prominent in the South Pacific area and in many other parts of the world and cultures where they represent a deep connection to spirituality. Today, what we know as modern tattooing, emerged in the early 20th century, popularized by artists like Bert Grimm and Norman “Sailor Jerry” Collins (yes, the guy from the rum), with a bold, limited color palette design originally called American Traditional. Now, artists all over the world have honed their own style and skills to create a magical plethora of designs as wide-reaching as any other art form. Image: Tattoos found on Ötzi the Iceman Image: Norman “Sailor Jerry” Collins
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