Indigenous Tattoo Traditions - by Lars Krutak (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Tattooing within Indigenous communities is a time-honored practice that binds the tattoo recipient to a deeply felt collective history. More than mere decoration, tattoos embody cultural values, ancestral ties, and spiritual beliefs. Indigenous Tattoo Traditions captures ancient tribal tattooing practices and their contemporary resurgence, highlighting a beautiful aspect of humanity's shared cultural heritage. Transporting readers through history, Lars Krutak explores the art and customs of tattooing across numerous ancestral lands, including Africa, the Middle East, the Americas, the Arctic, Oceania, Japan, Southeast Asia, and Siberia. He illustrates how tattoos function as a form of writing that defines and structures community life, performing as rites of passage, symbols of rank, and signs of marital or religious devotion, among other facets of culture. We are introduced to the heavily tattooed Li women of China's Hainan Island with their elaborate facial and body tattoos, the bold indelible markings of Papua New Guinea's Indigenous peoples, and innovative cultural tattoo practitioners who are rebuilding a skin-marking legacy for future generations to come. With numerous images published for the first time and an illuminating foreword by cultural historian Sean Mallon, Indigenous Tattoo Traditions opens a window onto one of the world's most vibrant yet misunderstood mediums of human expression."--

Book Synopsis

A beautifully illustrated history of Indigenous tattooing practices around the world

Tattooing within Indigenous communities is a time-honored practice that binds the tattoo recipient to a deeply felt collective history. More than mere decoration, tattoos embody cultural values, ancestral ties, and spiritual beliefs. Indigenous Tattoo Traditions captures ancient tribal tattooing practices and their contemporary resurgence, highlighting a beautiful aspect of humanity's shared cultural heritage.

Transporting readers through history, Lars Krutak explores the art and customs of tattooing across numerous ancestral lands, including Africa, the Middle East, the Americas, the Arctic, Oceania, Japan, Southeast Asia, and Siberia. He illustrates how tattoos function as a form of writing that defines and structures community life, performing as rites of passage, symbols of rank, and signs of marital or religious devotion, among other facets of culture. We are introduced to the heavily tattooed Li women of China's Hainan Island with their elaborate facial and body tattoos, the bold indelible markings of Papua New Guinea's Indigenous peoples, and innovative cultural tattoo practitioners who are rebuilding a skin-marking legacy for future generations to come.

With numerous images published for the first time and an illuminating foreword by cultural historian Sean Mallon, Indigenous Tattoo Traditions opens a window onto one of the world's most vibrant yet misunderstood mediums of human expression.

Review Quotes

"A major contribution to that community of bodily markings. . . . [Indigenous Tattoo Traditions] is a veritable guided tour of global cultures and communities that have, from time immemorial, subscribed to the striking art of marking the body with designs that communicate through time."---Donald Brackett, Critics at Large

"Both as a story of Indigenous art within Indigenous context and as an introduction to ethical and comprehensive current research, this book earns a recommendation for newly interested readers of culture and history, particularly those drawn to powerful photography and visually compelling artwork. Among tattoo enthusiasts especially, Krutak will certainly leave a mark."---James Bland, First American Art Magazine

"[A] revealing and comprehensive account of historical practices and the spiritual significance of tattoos in Indigenous communities worldwide. . . . [Indigenous Tattoo Traditions] is rich in knowledge and vibrant modern and historical photography, of which many have never been published before."---Elaine Macguire O'Connor, Inked Magazine

"There is a great deal of fascinating information presented, supported by many photographs and diagrams. The whole book is a visual treat."-- "Blue Wolf Reviews"

"A stunning visual survey."-- "New York Times Book Review"

About the Author

Lars Krutak is an anthropologist, photographer, and writer. A research associate at the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, he is host of the Discovery Channel series Tattoo Hunter and the author of several books, including Tattoo Traditions of Asia and Tattoo Traditions of Native North America. Sean Mallon is senior curator of Pacific histories and cultures at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.