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The
History of Tattooing
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Back to first History Page
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In 1972 some hunters found a grave close to Qilaqitsoq in
West Greenland. It contained some very well preserved mummies of people
who died around 1475. The mummies were brought to Copenhagen for examination,
and by closer inspection it was discovered that several of them were
tattooed.
A special technique:On the photo down under it is easy to see the very special tattooing technique that was used by all the people around the Arctic: They were sewing the tattoos in! They took a thread (made of sinew), dipped it in soot from the oil lamps, and with a needle they pulled it through the skin. That way a mark was made. By doing it again and again they could form lines, and it gave the characteristic look - like it was stitched. The designs were pretty much the same in all the Arctic regions. Lines over and around the eyes, and lines down the chin.
All photos on this page is from
the book: |