History of Tattoos: Tattoos and the Catholic Church

The Catholic missionaries who followed in the wake of the explorers and conquerors considered it their sacred duty to convert the populations of the new territories to Christianity and “civilize” them. Like cannibalism and human sacrifice, tattooing was regarded as barbaric and heathen. Excessive violence and the devastating effects of European diseases resulted in entire tribes and their cultures disappearing. Ironically, survivors of this assault were tattooed and branded with marks of ownership, and transported to Caribbean sugar plantations or South American silver mines. The indigenous peoples of the Amazon put up the most resistance to foreign influences, and their tattooing culture endured the onslaught.

From the eighteenth century, the Catholic Church’s role in the disappearance of old traditions diminished, and in South America it even supported the local population. Bishops governed regions with special rules related to legal and social conditions.

The role of the Catholic Church was more conservative in the South Pacific. Additionally, Western influence increased the inhabitant’s awareness of alternative value systems. Younger islanders began resisting the painful tattooing procedure because it appeared to only be practiced locally, not internationally. On the islands with church mission stations that church was more influential in bringing about the decline in tattoos however most of the decline came from within.

As is typical of many Western and European attempts to “change” those unlike them, the missionaries tried to convince native women not to tattoo their bodies because “European women would never do such a thing.” Fortunately, the women were not to be so easily swayed; they felt that tattoos were necessary, even if limited to the face as a means of countering the signs of aging. In some instances, they informed the missionaries that their practices were the latest fashion, a statement that even Darwin admitted would have never been questioned if said in Paris! In Maori tattoos began symbolizing one’s individualism and independence. In some areas tattooed boys refused to attend school with non-tattooed boys, who were considered cowards.

By the time Darwin began his global travels tattoes were on the decline. As he noted, only older Tahitians had the traditional sock tattoo that was widespread at the time of the first contacts with the Europeans a century earlier. The most striking example of this was in 1812, when the explorer Von Langsdorff, visiting the Aleutian Islands, became the last Westerner to observe the local tattooing culture in that area.

Interestingly enough, the act of inserting pigment into the skin by pricking it was known as the “Polynesian Technique.” In the 1700’s and 1800’s little was written about the deep significance of tattooes and their meaning, in part due to the communication barriers that existed between Europeans and Pacific Islanders. Additionally, not all tattoo-related information obtained from the islanders was reliable; they tended to exaggerate some of their customs in order to impress or frighten the explorers.

Ironically, despite the efforts (and success) of many of the Catholic Church missionaries, it was the European mariners that helped spread the popularity of tattoos. They often returned home with tattoos and regaled audiences with their tales of bravery and endurance during the tattoo application process!