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LARS KRUTAK

Tattoo Anthropologist

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July 14, 2013

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Previous article MAGICAL TATTOOS OF THAILAND’S MAHOUTS: ELEPHANT TRAINERS OF AYUTTHAYA

larskrutak
Tattoo in Japan is not a medical act = legal accor Tattoo in Japan is not a medical act = legal according to high court ruling today...hurrah!
The writing train continues...but so too does the The writing train continues...but so too does the reading. This great little book on Ryukyuan tattooing (hazichi/hajichi) just arrived from Japan and was republished this year to go along with an exhibition on this little documented (ie, English language publications) ancient tradition by lensman Hiroaki Yamashiro & author Namihei Isono who grew up with tattooed aunties. * The Ryukyuans formerly created medicinal tattoos ...and Herber’s 1928 paper contains some interesting thoughts re: the origins of the practice from N. Africa which are applicable to other cultural traditions of medicinal marking. * Another forthcoming project is an edited volume by Palgrave on the tattoo. My esteemed colleague @mattlodder is contributing a chapter on the art history of tattooing whereas I am writing-up a piece on the visual language of tattooing in reference to Chen Naga “tiger spirit” tattoos among the last three bearers of this ancient tradition (> we documented this tradition while filming @patterns.of.life.documentary in Nov. 2019 and can’t wait to share that project with you when ready!). * These projects will be published/aired in 2021. Updates forthcoming...and stay safe & healthy out there! #ancienttattoo #berber #ryukyu #ryukyuan #hajichitattoo #japantattoo #tattoomedicine #morocco #tatouage #tatouagefemme #irezumi #blackworktattoo #tigerspirit #tigers #nagaland #naga #tattoos #tatuajes #asiatattoo #indiatattoo #tribaltattoos #spiritualtattoos #konyak #visualanthropology #anthropology
Sorry for the radio silence, but spending any free Sorry for the radio silence, but spending any free time on my next book & here is a rough excerpt from it...Let’s now travel to N. Vietnam for a brief moment to learn about Katu tattoo traditions. ** The French scholar Louis Bezacier documented ca. 1950 that Katu forehead tattoos (padil yaya, “Dancing Woman”) were physical manifestations of the human soul and offered protection from lurking spirits. In Katu belief, the head was the seat of the soul which might leave the body during sleep, sickness, and/or dreaming. The soul exited the head through the ear and traveled to a “second world” where it could be harmed or captured by spiritual entities. The tattoo acted as a type of “sentry” in the present world, since through its physical manifestation on the body any malevolent spirit visiting the present or “first world” would be led to believe that the individual’s soul was close at hand. In turn, the tattooed individual was believed to be in a wakeful and healthy state, rather than disembodied in the second world where it was susceptible to spiritual danger. ** Other writers have suggested the tattoo marked the way home for the soul after it had traveled to the spirit world. Bezacier added that the padil yaya tattoo also activated the possessor’s intelligence, will, and wisdom, so that the person would embark only on successful enterprises. Generally speaking, village leaders and warriors were the recipients of the padil yaya tattoo. ** Other researchers now argue that the “dancing lady” has a deeper significance because it ultimately symbolizes “Grandmother Rice,” a major agricultural deity in the Katu pantheon. When compared to the choreography of the traditional and sacred padil yaya dance, however, the characteristic features of the tattoo motif can be deciphered. During the dance, which is held prior to agricultural (i.e., rice) and other significant annual rites, the hands of the female performers face the sky in an attempt to petition the gods of heaven and the earth for their favors: especially an abundant harvest and community prosperity. ** #vietnam #katu #dancinggirl #tattoo #blackworktattoo #facetattoos #asiatattoo #tribaltattoos #tattoos
On September 11th, this unique photo exhibition on On September 11th, this unique photo exhibition on Ainu tattoo by Hiroshi Ikeda will launch in Hokkaido. It is held at the Tobui Camp in Shiraoi. To learn more, visit the website below (takes a bit to upload page): https://tobiu.com/shiraoi-town/210/ #ainu #hokkaido #tattoohistory #japan #tribaltattoos #blackworktattoo #blackwork #indigenous #ancienttattoo #tattoo #irezumi #facetattoos
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