Tattoos

The history of tattoos began in the Polynesia. The polynesian were the first to engrave their bodies, the men cover them at all. In fact, the word "tattoo" cames from a polynesian word: ta (hit), tau-tau (phrase used to talk about bones crash). 

There are many cultures where a tattoo was a signal of the status or social role, for example, the "Maoris" tattoos their faces and the design of the tattoo was making more sophisticated if you were high in the social scale. Also for this people, if you don't have a tattoo you couldn' t find the way to immortality: the tattoos were an armor of spiritual and physical protection.

On the other hand, evidence suggests that, in ancient Egypt, tattoos were restricted to the priestesses. And in some tribes from New Zeland, the tattoos are sign of maturity and bravery until today. Other examples of cultures where tattoos are part of them: "Tarokos" in Japan and "Chin" in China.

In Occident, the tattoo was reintroduced by explorers, directed by Captain Cook. This sailors extend the tattoos and began the tradition of sea men tattooed. Also, tattoos were and are a very popular practice in the jail, as a sign of rebellion or as a symbol of covenants between prison lodges.

In the 1960s and 1970s, emerging urban tribes adopted the tattoos as part of their culture: bikers, punks and hippies, all of them with own designs that define theirselves. 

Actually the tattoos are a common practice and many people want to get a tattoo like a way to show their personality or tastes, their identity, so the designs are about dreams, favourite things/colors, important people, beliefs, etc.

Personally I would like to get a tattoo behind my ear, in my neck, a red star with black edge. The star is a historic symbol of left-wing and this is my ideology, so I think that it (red star) identifies me.

Resources:

http://www.tattoo-odin.com/historia_tatuaje.asp

http://www.elcuerpo.es/los-tatuajes-historia-simbologia-y-tradiciones-item16.php 

http://www.publispain.com/tatuajes/Historia_de_los_Tatuajes.html