Appreciation VS Appropriation in Tattooing
Have you ever seen a white person with a traditional Japanese tattoo, tribal designs, or Hindu symbols? If so, does that count as cultural appropriation? Cultural appropriation is defined as the act of taking something from another culture without respect, knowledge, and understanding of that culture. A clear example of this is wearing a Native American headdress for halloween. This blog will primarily be addressed to fellow white tattoo collectors, as we have a nasty history of taking things that are not our own. In this post, I would like to amplify voices from Japan and First Nation cultures regarding outsiders getting their cultural symbols and designs as tattoos.
Tebori Tattoos: Keeping the tradition alive
Traditional Japanese tattooing is called “Tebori” which is the hand-carving technique of Japanese Tattooing. Artists of this technique typically use a hand-poking method, where a needle is attached to a carved bamboo handle. The designs hold cultural and historical significance of legendary people and creatures of their world. The design themselves hold power, as well as the positioning of their design.
Man with Tebori Tattoo
Tattooing in Japan has a long, complicated and controversial history which we will get into in later posts. This history has caused many Japanese people to view tattoos as markers of criminals, or morally impaired individuals that have historically been banned from public spaces like restaurants, beaches, and Onsen (hot springs). Tattoos were so taboo the they were outlawed during the Meiji Restoration as an effort to globalize and westernize the nation, but were recently made legal. When asked, many Japanese citizens said they view tattoos on foreigners as fashionable, but view their fellow tattooed country-people as gang affiliates.
Due to their taboo status in Japan, traditional Japanese tattoos are not a common or popular adornment of the citizens. In efforts to keep the beautiful tradition alive and to reach a wider and more receptive audience, many artist sent their apprentices and student of the craft to western countries, like the States. With this, came the introduction of the coil tattoo machine which when compared to the traditional hand-poke method of the craft, produces less vibrant colors. One artist says using a coil machine is faster, but loses value and cultural significance. Clients have attested that the machine is more painful because of how fast its moves and the power it packs, however there are traditional Japanese artists that use a machine because they were first trained with Western tattoo methodologies.
When a Tebori practitioner gets a new client, they make sure they are serious and understand the cultural and historical significance of the design. This is partially due to the respect of the tradition, but also because some pieces can take over 150 hours to complete. To get a Tebori tattoo, you cannot have commitment issues.
So, is it appropriation or appreciation to get a Japanese traditional or Tebori tattoo? Commitment to the tradition and willingness to honor the history and cultural significance of the craft is the acceptable and appreciative way to get a Tebori tattoo as a cultural visitor. If you go to an American Traditional artist and they have a few Tebori style dragons in their flash book, I might suggest finding another artist. While they may have knowledge of the style and craft, it simply will not be the same honorable experience which Tebori practitioners value so greatly.
While I did not touch much on Kanji tattoos, the verdict was pretty unanimous across the board. It is weird, and do not do it. When interviewed, many Japanese people were confused by white, or non-Japanese speaking people get Kanji tattooed on them. An infamous example is Ariana Grande who accidentally got “BBQ” tattooed on her in Kanji. Another example is someone who got “free” tattooed on them, not knowing it did not mean free as in freedom, but free as in “no cost”.
Native American Tattoos: How did that heal you?
“Native American” is a hugely broad term as there are thousands upon thousands of recognized and unrecognized nations and tribes within the bounds of the Americas. In this section I am going to talk about the commonalities amongst traditional indigenous tattooers. I will get into specifics for different nations and tribes in later posts.
In the webinar, Indigenous Tattoo Gathering Kanahus, Lane Wilcken, Nahaan: Tattoo Medicine, Healing & Tattoos, from January 14, 2021, Kanahus Manuel from Secwepemc and Tanaka Nation in so-called British Columbia talks about how tattooing is a from of activism and a way to decolonize her people. Kanahus is a practitioner of traditional hand-poke tattooing. She is a front-line activist and gains power from her tattoos. Tattoos for her are a revival and ceremony that sparked meaningful decolonization and restored power to her family lines. She sews images and symbols of her nation’s weaving designs, face paint, and rock painting into her tattoos.
Kanahus of the Secwepemc and Tanaka Nations
She identifies as a medicine harvester, and implements protection medicine into her designs. The medicine is the exchange of energy between collector and tattooist which opens them up to the universe. She views herself as a land-defender, but reclaimed her artist identity to bring her people closer to their ancestors. The land is always with her, and anyone who sees her will see that she is not only a part of the land, but a fierce defender of the land.
The tattoo is completed as a medicinal ritual. Some women from her nation get lines down their chin, which symbolize reclaiming their voice and a language once lost to resident schools and colonialism. Where these tattoos are placed are significant and act as energy amplifiers, and since they are often placed on meridian lines of the body, they are a form of physical energy healing as well as spiritual. She rarely takes cash for her work, she truly emphasizes the healing and spiritual significance of the ritual because it erases the colonization from not only their bodies, but their souls.
Examples of chin tattoos on Mary Loonskin of the Cree Nation, image from yesmagainze.org.
Kanahus explains once she tattooed her face, she erased the image of colonization.
Kanahus does not give tattoos to just anyone, you must know her and you must be on the frontlines. She is tattooing land back. Her tattoos are not only reviving the hand-poke tradition, but it revives them and their identity as Indigenous people. When speaking on non-indigenous people interested in getting an indigenous design, she says they must be strict. Kanahus compares it to a non-gang member getting a gang tattoo, they did not earn it, and it would be offensive to an actual gang-member. If you get an Indigenous tattoo as a white person, it is just another marker of colonialism.
Nahaan is a Tlingit tattooer that places emphasis on the energy exchange in his tattooing practices. He prays for each of his clients and sings for each of his clients, this creates the space for a healing experience. He is tattooing the land back onto his clients, sewing each other back together, hand-poking their ancestors back into this world, and as he beautifully describes, hand-tapping the rhythm of the world back onto their bodies. He aims to bring healing back to his people, which separates him from a tattoo shop experience.
He describes the experience of his clients going into a tattoo shop and hearing the buzz of the tattoo machine and immediately take on a remembrance of pain, and so they respond with pain. He wants to change the conversation from “oh did that hurt” to “how did that heal you”. He places significance on the energetic vibration of his language and how that places a foundation for the healing nature of the tattoo ritual. Tattooing the land and forgotten cultural stories back onto his people enable them to decolonize not only their land, but their bodies. The healing is in the relationship building, trust, and love shared amongst his people. Nahaan’s practice helps with his own sobriety and he noticed a drop in suicides in his nation. He says that while it can feel like a healing ceremony, it is also okay for it to be a stepping stone into healing.
After hearing Kanahus and Nahaan’s stories and experiences as healers, it is quite clear that tattoos of First Nation people and Indigenous peoples of the Americas are a way for them to reconnect their people to their ancestors and lands that were forcibly taken from them by colonizers. If we were to get these tattoos as white people, it would be just another marker of the manifestation of colonialism. Tattooing is not only spiritual healing, but also physical healing.
Conclusion
If you want to get a tattoo from another culture, it is imperative that you do research on the cultural significance of the design and methodology. Some traditions will allow outsiders to get tattoos, but only if deemed worthy. Others ask that you appreciate the art, and keep it off your skin, especially if that skin is white.
Tebori artist ask that you do it the correct way, which is going to an artist that specializes and has training in Tebori, and that you do your own research on the practice as a way to respect the art form. While getting a Japanese traditional tattoo with a coil machine is okay, the value of traditional methods are insurmountable in comparison and produce not only higher quality saturation and color, but also honor the thousands of years that went into creating this beautiful craft.
Indigenous tattooers of the Americas ask that if you are not apart of the culture, that you do not get that image tattooed. There is a long history of violence against indigenous people by white colonizers, and much of their tattooing is a way to dismantle the colonization forced upon them, heal their people, and reclaim their land. This means, do not go to a tattoo shop and ask a white artist to do an indigenous design. If you want to support indigenous artists, ask them personally if you can purchase an art print, or donate to their land defense. If you are willing to offer you body to the art of tattoos, then you can offer your body as a physical barrier between them and the police. If you are willing to pay them for the tattoo, consider putting money back into their nation and into safety measures to protect their land from further thievery and destruction. Many Indigenous artists encourage outsiders to buy their beadwork and hand-woven baskets instead.
To air on the safe side, I might suggest supporting Indigenous, Black, Asian, and Latinx tattooers in any way you can, but do not get their culturally specific symbols tattooed on you unless specifically given explicit permission by a member of that culture and practice.
Sources and informative videos to watch
Japanese React to Kanji Tattoos (Interview)
So You Want A Japanese Tebori Tattoo | Tattoo Styles
The Japanese Tattoo Duo: Taki & Horimoto - TATTOO AGE (Full Episode)
How the Yakuza Changed Tattoo Culture in Japan
Tattoo Culture in JAPAN | STREET STORIES - #2 TATTOOS | GQ JAPAN
Aztec Tattoo Artist Uses Ink to Honor Ancestors
Indigenous Tattoo Artist Discusses Cultural Appropriation with German TV
Indigenous Tattoo Gathering Kanahus, Lane Wilcken, Nahaan: Tattoo Medicine, Healing & Tattoos
Indigenous Resistance
