Question

write a post of 500 words analysis explaining an example of folk art tattoo?

Answer 1

Modern Polynesian Tattooing is the one of the best example of folk art tattoos:

This thesis compares traditional tattooing in Eastern Polynesia with an analysis of contemporary tattooing in the Society Islands, French Polynesia. The intent is to shed light on the tradition in its many contexts through space and time. Tattoos, while pervasive throughout most of Polynesia, historically represent different rituals, political systems, subsistence patterns and in some cases, rites of passage- all of which are consequential to island identity. Designs, placement upon the body and gender highlight differences between the various island groups in traditional tattooing.The majority of Polynesia converted to Christianity in the 19th century, losing the art of tattooing. East Polynesian islands lost the art more expeditiously than West Polynesia due to missionary-royalty alliances that not only converted, but also unified archipelagos. In contemporary French Polynesia, the shift to modern, electrical equipment has elevated the art to new levels of achievement. Less painful, more precise and efficient technology has led to new types of tattoo recipients throughout the islands: the tourist. This thesis shows that the art technologically transformed itself as well as the modern, social milieu and global market that packages and sells indigenous art. These issues are highlighted in Chapter two.This paper does not address West Polynesia, however it is important to note that origin myths of tattooing in Samoa and Fiji are reciprocal myths, involving Siamese twins, who inverted the message of which gender should be tattooed. This produced male tattooing in Samoa and female tattooing in Fiji. See Gell (1993), Shankman (1972) and Milner (1969) for a detailed analysis of these myths. Unification occurred in the Society Island Group between British missionaries and the Pomare family and in Hawai’i with the Kamehameha dynasty and American missionaries. Permutation of meaning represents new politics of representation, consequential to modern island identity because traditional tattoos differentiated groups from one another and among socially stratified members of society (Oliver 1974:750). Identity continues to be relevant concerning the Polynesian tattoo. This paper highlights the fact that revalorization, reinvention, and reintroduction of the art form is driven by a strong sentiment of Pan-Polynesian brotherhood- a shared history resulting from years of colonialism and exploitation throughout the Pacific islands. Historically important differences that occurred in pre-modern, Polynesian tattoo iconography are largely absent, making this institution a modern example of cultural loss. This does not mean symbolism has been lost because current tattoo iconography represents revival, with heavy reliance upon the most documented examples of Pre-European tattooing for its reappearance. Cultural diffusion continues to occur resulting in modern, western, tribal features coupled with a Polynesian potpourri of design. The use of color, absent from traditional Polynesian tattooing (with the exception of the implementation of red in Maori female chin tattooing), is now gaining momentum although the innovation is acquired by tourists rather than native Polynesians and the tattoo gun has predominantly replaced traditional tattoo technology. Presently, Polynesians acquire tattoos that are generally not unique to their island of descent. The overall design on the body is a melange between distinct island groups’ traditional motifs, as well as new, modern creations. Most Polynesians are aware that designs diffuse between islands and most have a vague recollection of the significance of various traditional designs. A great deal of the early documentation on tattoos, taken by navigators and missionaries in the Pacific, causes some incoherence. Contemporary tattoo artists realize the poignancy of symbols, but so do most art historians of the Pacific. Marquesan design, by far the most popular with the native informants I interviewed, was the most thoroughly documented design aside from Maori moko, making these designs the most prolific in the region. Tourists do not realize, nor do they concern themselves, with the signification of symbols. They mainly covet something “authentic”: to receive a tattoo where the art form was first encountered by the Western world. The Tahitian word tatau, literally “to tap”, is the source of the English equivalent, tattoo.