Ancient tattoo customs in Oceania
Oceania, a hot land area, consists of the mainland of Australia and about 10,000 islands. On the land and many islands of Australia, there were indigenous people who lived tenaciously for a long time. They did not cultivate the land or cultivate crops, and made a living by "feeding" and "fishing." They eat snakes, lizards, fish and plants, and even kangaroos and crocodiles. Of course, they wore no clothes and were mostly naked, but their skin was not smooth because it was covered with paintings, cuts or tattoos. Before the 16th century, Oceania was lonely. In the hundreds of years after mankind established navigation, it has not been drawn on nautical charts. Navigators have never been here, and ordinary people on other continents do not know of its existence. Later, the navigator finally discovered it, and the colonists 'butcher knives also followed it. They brought civilization and cruelty. Today, European immigrants have established modern metropolises here. They wear European clothes and ride in cars, fully enjoying modern civilization. But indigenous people still exist. They live in remote mountains, lonely islands, are equally naked, and even stubbornly follow the ancient tattoo custom until the 1990s.
Whoever has more stripes on his body will be more respected
The Maori are indigenous people in New Zealand and live in remote mountainous areas and lakesides. Among their customs, the most interesting one is naturally the "nose holding" ceremony. This is a hospitable tribe. The way they welcome their guests is to touch their noses. The longer they touch them, the more grand they will be treated. The accompanying aesthetics is that they are proud of high noses. In order to make their children's noses grow taller, mothers often pinch their noses with their knees, and children also endure the pain and are willing to cooperate. While high noses are beautiful, Maori also believe that red lips are the most ugly, especially women, who are not allowed to have bright red lips. If a young man marries a girl with red lips, no matter how beautiful and capable the girl is, Yu Pinde will not be picky. The people in the tribe will without exception ridicule the young man, and the young man himself will think this is a great shame.
However, many mature women's lips are inherently alluring. What should I do? For the unique aesthetics of their own nation, Maori girls must pierce horizontal lines on their lips after adulthood, and then immerse them in some black juice, so that their lips become permanent black. Of course, black is not the only choice, and girls sometimes choose blue. Maori tattoos are not limited to women, and Maori men do not like their own red lips. Sometimes, they also follow the example of women and tattoo their lips black or blue. Of course, they also tattoo in other places, but the patterns on their bodies are always particular about. Whoever has more patterns on their bodies will be more respected.
Only qualified people can get tattoos all over their bodies
Polynesians are the indigenous people of the central Pacific Islands. Polynesia means "multi-island archipelago", and the main ones are the Hawaiian Islands, Midway Island, Society Islands, Cook Islands, etc. The climate here is hot, and the central part is also one of the birthplaces of typhoons. Tattooing is the most representative custom in Polynesia. According to regulations, young men and women on the island who do not have tattoos are considered minors, let alone married.
In general, Polynesian tattoos already cover any part of the human skin except the pupil. However, this does not mean that everyone has power all over their body. In fact, in Polynesia, tattoos are not only decorative, but also an important expression of social relations and religious concepts. Except for people with higher social levels or meritorious service to the tribe, most people are not allowed to have relatively complete tattoos. As for tattoos all over his body, only people with extraordinary achievements can enjoy this honor.
In 1776, the famous British expedition navigator James Cook led a fleet to the Tastes Islands and conducted a detailed investigation of the local people's tattoo customs for the first time. In his nautical diary, he not only recorded the common custom of tattooing in the local area, but also said that he had seen an old man with strange patterns tattooed all over his body, and later learned that the old man was the local chief. The chief, surrounded by a large group of indigenous people, came to Cook. Cook wrote: "Compared with others, this chief not only has more tattoos, but also has a luxurious style."
After history entered modern society, Polynesians not only continued the custom of tattooing, but also branded it commercial. They tattooed some young people with particularly eye-catching content and recruited them as circus performers. Circus companies went out to perform, using the uniqueness of tattooed people as a means to attract audiences. Modern people are very interested in this novel and ancient art, and the circus's income has increased significantly.
Before marriage, you have to make hundreds of small cuts on your body
Melanesians, which means "Black Islands", live on some islands in the Pacific Ocean. Because they live in the tropics, they wear little clothing. At night or on rainy days when the temperature dropped, they would sit around the stove in the hut and warm themselves by the fire. Melanesians also have the custom of tattooing, which is characterized by solemn ceremonies. Before getting married, women in many places have to make hundreds of small cuts in their chest and abdomen, and then pour colored liquid into the cuts. These strange "scars" are the beautiful "wedding dresses" for girls.
However, the main tattoo method for the Melanesians is cut marks. They use shells, stone knives and other tools to cut the skin to leave permanent scars. For example, the Unis islanders in the southern Pacific began to apply patterns and impressions on their skin once they entered puberty. The main purpose was to attract the attention of the opposite sex and win the favor of their sweetheart. According to local customs, tattoos are beautiful and a test of one's courage. If you want to win love, you must first win this weight.
Lines often represent a hierarchical difference
Among the common tattoo customs among indigenous people in Australia, the main one is not tattooing, but painting or cutting marks. They often have red, white, yellow and other colors of soil in their bags. In daily life, they only point a few colors on their cheeks, shoulders and chest, and paint their bodies on holidays or important matters. Paint red before the battle, paint white for relatives who passed away, and paint colorful when celebrating balls.
There are many reasons why Australians paint their bodies. One is because of totem worship, and the other is one of the necessary rituals for adult ceremonies. In addition, it is the need for beauty decoration and the need to attract heterosexual love. On Frindell Island in the Bass Strait between mainland Australia and Tasmania, a people called Tasmania once lived. When the European colonial government banned them from painting their bodies with red stone, they almost rioted because the boys said,"If so, the girl won't love us."
Cutting marks are also a common style among local aborigines. Their instruments are primitive tools such as shells and stone knives, and the main parts of the operation are the back, arms, chest, and under the ribs. When tattooing, first cut the skin and then apply charcoal ash to make it bulge. In this way, no matter whether the wound purifies or not, it will leave a scar as thick as a finger and three to four inches long after healing. Some young men have a mark on their bodies that can extend from their shoulders to their knees. These scars have other meanings in addition to the role of beauty. For example, it is a fixed symbol of a certain tribe, a commemoration of joining a certain group, or even a "biography" of oneself. Many people record marriage and important stages of life on their bodies in the form of scars carved with knives, becoming a "wordless book" that only they can understand. At the same time, it became an honor for his courage and rich experience.
The Australian aborigines often apply some soil when they are newly injured, while the aborigines in the north or northwest rub the glue of a plant. The location of the cut marks often varies from tribe to tribe. In some tribes, most of the cut marks are on the back, while in some tribes, they are on the wrist, chest, abdomen and legs. Cutting marks are originally a tattoo method used by both sexes, but usually men use more than women. The map shown by their cuts shows points, lines, curves, and straight lines, and the straight lines often cross the entire chest. Men near the Torres Strait have thick horseshoe-shaped cuts on their shoulders that look like European epaulets. The execution of cutting marks is an important part of the rite of passage. But this kind of operation cannot be completed at once and must be performed at different ages. Therefore, except for the elderly, most people cannot see the complete pattern of their whole body.
Ram-Horz once said: "Lines often represent a grade difference, and this grade is arranged according to age. Children are not decorated at a certain age. At a certain age, several crosses are drawn on their chest and abdomen. The cross symbol gradually increases, and as the child grows up, it is around their breasts. Draw a half-moon line." In southeastern Australia, the age of the recipient can be known by seeing cuts at different stages.
In addition to the cut marks indicating age and tribe marks, there are other lines that are all decorative. Among them, there are short lines, straight lines, and parallel lines that are carved on the arms in clusters. However, after the wounds heal, the cut marks appear on the arms. It is unclear. Cuts on the back or shoulder blades are also common everywhere, but rarely on the face. Moreover, women are not allowed to cut marks because local people feel that women should not decorate too much, otherwise it will be considered immoral. We should understand that many of the concepts of the ancients were exactly the opposite of those of modern people. For example, in today's civilized society, it is unbelievable for a normal adult to be naked in public, and pornographic videos and nude photos of women are also recognized as obscene things. But the Australian aborigines are different. They are completely accustomed to being naked in daily life, but they are not accustomed to seeing a girl dressed too much or wearing something that can be called clothes. In their eyes, this is no different from coquettish or teasing. For an indigenous person, asking them to wear a piece of clothing is as embarrassing and unimaginable as asking modern people to take off their underwear.
For a tribe that regards cutting marks as beauty, everyone hopes to enjoy the right to decorate this kind of beauty as soon as possible. What's more, girls who love beauty by nature. They are very delicate in other aspects, but they are fascinated by tattoos and have no fear. However, due to customs and tribal unique concepts of women, at most, women are only allowed to have a few lines cut on their chest, back, and arms. Women, especially young girls, cherish these limited lines very much, and they all desire to complete this mark on themselves as soon as possible. In any case, a back with dense cuts is considered enough to add to their beauty.
The reason why Australians choose cuts rather than tattoos is related to their skin color. Scars can be fully revealed only on their dark skin. In fact, common cuts can only be found on the lower parts of people with dark skin colors.
