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Back to first History Page

You get back to Kunsten pa Kroppen - The Art on the Body general Tattoo web site
by clicking the logo on top
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All the people all around
the Arctic has been tattooed.
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This is a small
figure carved out of a walrus tusk. It is about 2000 years old, and
is enhanced with traditional tattoo designs.
It was very normal, especially for the
women, to get tattooed lines down their chin. The lines around the
eyes are also very normal. |
This
small mask has also been carved in walrus tusk and shows tattoo
designs. |
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In 1654 4 Eskimos were kidnapped from Nuuk and taken to Bergen in
Norway where their portraits were painted. Later they were taken to
Copenhagen, |
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and today this painting is one of the treasures in the National
Museum in Copenhagen. This is the oldest surviving portrait of
Inuit, and it is very obvious that both women were tattooed. Maria
from Paamiut is another fine example.
In 1972 in Qilaqitsoq in Southwest
Greenland were found some mummified humans, of which several were
tattooed. You can read more about them and the unique Inuit tattoo
technique on this page: The Greenland
Mummies of Qilaqitsoq.
In East Greenland the tradition
has been kept alive even till today.
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All photos on this page is from
the book:
The Greenland Mummies
Chr. Ejlers Forlag, 1985
In it you can read a lot more about both them and Inuit tattooing in
general. |