Kunsten på Kroppen
The art of tattooing

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The History of Tattooing
Inuit
Maria - Qilaqitsoq - East Greenland - 

All the people all around the Arctic has been tattooed.

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.

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, 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.

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.