We at WORLDcompass get a little woozy at the idea of sitting still while needles are repeatedly thrust into our flesh. Nonetheless, we too have occasionally pondered getting a tattoo, especially after seeing Pacific Islanders in Communications' Skin Stories.For the one in three Americans between the ages of 25-29 who now have one, the trend of skin as a canvas for expressing individuality is relatively new. Globally, however, the practice is thought to date back to Neolitic times, when Ötzi the Iceman and his ilk were embedding each others flesh with indelible ink (before that whole unhappy incident that left him preserved in a glacier, though that's a story for another day).
But the Western intro to tattooing actually came via Polynesia, where European sailors first encountered the art form. Skin Stories presents the history of the tradition as practiced and transmitted around the Pacific rim, from Rotoru to Maui to the beaches of California.
Skin Stories originally aired on WORLD on July 24th & July 31st, 2010.
