Synopses & Reviews
This 1925 survey constitutes one of the most complete histories of world tattoo practices. It was written at the end of a significant era in anthropological fieldwork, when the efforts of missionaries and the impact of European imperialism had suppressed all but the final vestiges of indigenous native tattoo traditions. Subsequent opportunities for original fieldwork related to tattooing were rare, making this book a valuable link to vanishing cultures.
In addition to 80 photographs and illustrationsand#151;many of them new to this editionand#151;this fascinating study discusses the significance of tattoos and other forms of body marking in terms of religious beliefs and social purposes. Author Wilfrid Dyson Hambly offers a wealth of examples from fieldwork conducted around the world. Hambly discusses the religious and magical uses of tattooing, which range from the prevention of pain, protection against witchcraft, and attraction of good luck to the preservation of youth and insurance of the survival of the soul after death.and#160;
This 1925 survey offers one of the most complete histories of world tattoo practices.and#160;It features 80 images from vanished cultures and discusses their significance in terms of religious beliefs and social status.
This 1925 survey offers one of the most complete histories of world tattoo practices. It features 80 images from vanished cultures and discusses their significance in terms of religious beliefs and social status.
About the Author
W. D. Hambley was an anthropologist, a noted authority on Africa, and the assistant curator of African Ethnology for the Museum of Natural History of Chicago.
Table of Contents
Introduction1. Body Marking in Relation to Religious Beliefs and Practices2. Body Marking and Magic3. Body Marking for Social and Anti-Social Purposes4. Technique of Body Marking5. Geographical Distribution of Tattooing6. Historical Distribution of Tattooingand#160;