and monique duncan, chelsea, rebecca · russian prison tattoos “they [tattoos] uphold traditions...

Tattoos!

Duncan, Chelsea, Rebecca and Monique

Maori Moko

Brief History and Documentation- Original inhabitants of New Zealand- First Documented by Capt. James Cook 1769

-Textbooks-Journal Articles-Web Resources

Cultural Significance Origin Story

-Mataora and Niwareka

Ancestral Importance-Gift from the Gods-Connection to the Past

Physical Meaning- Eight Separate Regions- Right Hand Side

-Fathers rank-Tribal Affiliation-Position in Life

- Left Hand Side-Mothers rank-Tribal Affiliation-Position in Life

- Generally Only Men

Meaning

Moko Kauae

Decline of Ta Moko

19th Century- Colonization

- Missionaries- New Zealand Wars (1860-1864)- Tattooed Head Trade (Mokomokai)

Mokomokai

Ta Moko Today-Maori Renaissance“Moko has revived, as a marker of identity, as an expression of dreams and aspirations, as a keeper of memory.”

-Te Awekotuku

Holocaust Tattoos

Holocaust Tattoos: Numbering Series at Auschwitz

1. May 1940 through January 1945: Male Jewish prisoners took these numbers until May 1944. The series ends with number 202,499.2. October 1941 through 1944: 12,000 numbers for Soviet prisoners of war.3. March 1942 through 1944: 90,000 females marked with this series.4. February 1943 through August 1944: Two series for Roma-Gypsies are formed, one for each sex. 10,094 were given out to men. 10,888 were given out to women. Both series start with “Z” for “Zigeuner,” gypsy in German.5. Mid-May 1944: A series for Hungarian Jews begins. The series started with “A” and ended with “1” for 20,000 numbers before moving on to a series beginning with “B.” 15,000 men received the “B” series. For an unknown reason, 30,000 women received the “A” series before moving on to “B.” Notes:- Over 400,000 numbers were given out.- Some Jewish prisoners received triangles below their numbers.- Prisoners of German nationality and reeducation prisoners did not receive tattoos.

Quote from Primo Levi

“With time, my tattoo has become a part of my body. I do not display and do not hide it. I show it unwillingly to those who ask out of curiosity, readily and with anger to those who say they are incredulous. Often, young people ask me why I don’t have it erased. This surprises me: Why should I? There are not many of us in the world to bear this witness.”

Quote from Henia Bryer

“I was offered by various surgeons to remove it, and they were very glad to do it, but I wanted to keep it on. So that when people say that it didn’t exist - these days, that the Holocaust didn’t exist, it’s a figment of your imagination - I wanted to show them. and many people don’t even know what this number means, still today. I wanted to keep it as a witness… as a sign that it really happened.”

Preserving the Cultural Heritage of Holocaust Tattoos

Quote from Abramo and his grandson

Abramo: “Is this so they don’t forget?”

Grandson: “So that I’ll never forget.”

Quote from Yosef Diamanti

“When you have a grandchild and he asks you what it is, will you tell him about me?”

Quote from Eli Sagir

“All my generation knows nothing about the Holocaust. You talk with people and they think it’s like the Exodus from Egypt, ancient history. I decided to do it to remind my generation: I want to tell them my grandfather’s story and the Holocaust story.”

Holocaust Tattoos as a Cultural Heritage in Need of Preservation

Current Preservation of Holocaust Tattoos

Russian Prison Tattoos● “They [tattoos] uphold

traditions belonging to the group, signify group solidarity, and utilize a language kept secret from the authorities.” ~Margo DeMello

● Vory v Zakone

Preserves Cultural Heritage

● Keeps the culture alive● Tells the history

of the individual

Cultural Heritage in Need of Preservation

Preservation Initiatives

● Danzig Baldev● Sergei Vasiliev● Russian Criminal

Tattoo Archive

Exhibitions

Contemporary Tattoos

Deviance and Mental Disorders

“not only were tattoos linked with deviance, it was argued that the physical act of getting a tattoo would cause future deviance”

Tattoo Renaissance● 1980s and 1990s ● the number of people with tattoos began to

rise○ primarily those in the middle class ○ making tattooing more “mainstream”○ academics began to disassociate

them with deviance

Tattoos As Art and Investments

● “The streets have become a mobile gallery offering glimpses of elaborate monochrome patterns, intricate faux jewelry, fantasy creatures, and images appropriated from Van Gogh, Botticelli and Picasso”

● “It’s something you’ve put some thought into, and it's something you’re going to have 20 years later

Tattoos as Cultural Heritage

“The social world of tattooing centers around the production of a unique cultural artifact” ● Tattooees creating their own culture● In cultural limbo

Preserving Cultural Heritage

● Nationalities/Ethnicities● Social Groups● Beliefs/Religious Groups● The tattoo culture itself

Preservation Initiatives● Social Media● Oral Communication● Portfolios and

Tattoo Flash● Documentaries● Reality TV Shows

Preserving the Physical Tattoo

● However, these forms of preservation are not preserving the physical tattoo○ Often times, the story behind the tattoo is also

missing through social media

Syracuse China Tattoo Archive

Syracuse China Tattoo Archive Events