tattoos rite of passage

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Tattoos: Rites Of Passage The elite tend to frown upon a person with tattoos. This may be a result of the days when tattooing was used to mark criminals. While the elite think it is rebellious to have a tattoo, Tattoos have been used for centuries as a door or a passage to maturity. Let us look at some cultures that used and some still use the marking of a body for the passing out of the limbo state and transitioning into maturity. The Samoan, Maori, Borneo, African, North American Aboriginal cultures are just a few that have used the tattoo as a way to tell a story of Transition into maturity. Before there was writing with words to identify a person, we used pictures. Many of the cultures used the tattoo to tell the status of an individual in society. The Maori of New Zealand used Tattooing starting at puberty, accompanied by many rites and rituals. In addition to making a warrior attractive to women, the tattoo practice marked both rites of passage and important events in a person's life. In the Maori culture, the head was considered the most important part of the body, with the face embellished by incredibly elaborate tattoos or ‘moko,’ which were regarded as marks of high status. Each tattoo design was unique to that individual and since it conveyed specific information about their status, rank, ancestry and abilities, it has accurately been described as a form of ID card or passport, a kind of aesthetic bar code for the face. In ancient Samoa, tattooing played an important role in both religious ritual and warfare .For young Samoan men, tattooing was a rite of passage from boyhood to maturity. A young man who was not tattooed was considered still to be a boy. He could not marry; he could not speak in the presence of grown men; and he was obliged to perform menial tasks. Samoan women were tattooed as well, but female tattooing was limited to a series of

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