In the beginning there was man. Then there was the ability for man to draw and write. Over the billions of years the earth has been here man took those two abilities to make another ability. The talent is not common, so in some senses it’s more of a gift than a talent. Tattoos are a controversial thing. Some say they love them, some say they are beautiful, and some say they are indecent or trashy.

The art of tattooing is dated back to the Egyptian mummies. The marks on the body indicate that tattoo’s were just as much a part of their culture as it is ours. About 20 years ago a body was discovered. The body was over 5,000 years old and a breakthrough for archaeologist. The body was fairly preserved from the cold conditions. Once the body was inspected the archaeologist found markings of dots and lines which were assumed to be tattoos; however the meaning of them will forever be a mystery. The ideas of tattoos spread around the world tracing from Europe to Asia to Polynesia. The techniques changed over the many years. In New Zeland their amazing ability to carve wood turned into the ability to carve tattoos with sharp shards of bone. Then henna tattoos became very popular in the fact that they are only semi-permanent.

Are tattoos appropriate? In many cases jobs do not like the idea of their employee’s marking all over their body. Often tattoos are used to make one more beautiful and very often a tattoo just tells a story about the person who wears them. Some people start small and keep it that way but more often than not one tattoo leads to another. “They are addicting” says female high school student Hannah Vandevordi. I often wonder if the pain is so bad why people do it. Another high school student claims that the tattoo she got behind her ear did not hurt at all; in fact it put her to sleep at one point. Tattoos are a sport to some and meaningful to others. For example many cultures use tattoos for religious purposes. Hindu’s represent their religious tattoos just as the females of the Egyptian era used tattoos to show fertility. Hawaiians are commonly known for their tribal tattoos that represent their belief in God. Not only do the people of the region have these tattoos but priest and pastors do as well! Even the peaceful Buddhist of the world has tattoos to represent their religious beliefs too. Hindu’s will actually commend a person if his or her ankle has a tattoo that says “OM.” On one hand, many people consider tattoos to be a sin according to the bible; on the other hand many people get Jesus tattooed on them.

Tattoos are always going to be a common practice .The hate and disgust for them has turned into lust and love for them. People all over the world have accepted tattoos as an art and talent. Today tattoos are more widely spread than ever before. They are appreciated and explored by many. After all a picture is worth a thousand words and a thousand words could describe a lot about one person.