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The GYPSY has been a Professional Member of the Alliance Of Professional Tattooists since 1994. He also has completed and passed the APT's Tattoo Mastery Test and is recognized as a Tattoo Master. Through education, knowledge and activism, APT and its members promote the understanding that professional tattooing is a safe expression of art.

THUS BEGINS OUR TALE OF THE FIRST PROFESSIONAL TATTOO ARTIST!

(FACT OR FICTION? YOU DECIDE!)
THE DAWN OF TATTOOING

Once upon a time in an era that we fondly refer to as "Pre-History", a creature climbed down from a tree and called himself "MAN." His wife, Oogoogla however just called him GROG which means, "He who smells bad and scratches himself." Grog, was an intelligent creature for a dim-witted Neanderthal and realized that he had a great responsibility. Grog knew that his purpose in life was to name everything that needed naming. He had been at this for years and now he was an old man of 18 years. "Well", thought Grog, "Me be with most me life gone and me done name everything. What me do now?" As Grog walked through the jungle contemplating how he would spend his remaining years now that he was out of a job he suddenly heard a noise from ahead. Looking towards the base of the local Volcano Grog spied a 900 lb. Saber Toothed Kitty Kat. Grog knew that "Kitty's" were as foul tempered and hungry as Oogoogla, whose name means, "Fat wife who never stops eating and who is always PMS'ing." Quietly Grog turned to leave before Kitty could see him but he was too late. Kitty could smell Grog a mile away, after all how could Kitty not smell him, PHEW?! Kitty bounded and Grog took off running thru the Jungle towards the safety of his cave. A thought crossed Grog's mind as Kitty gave chase.... "Me run fast, me call this 'Jogging'! Hey, me invent something. Me first inventor. Me got new Job! Cool!" Grog was so busy thinking about his new career that he failed to notice the cliff ahead. Grog fell off in full run and landed in a tree a hundred feet below. Several hours later when Grog regained consciousness, He thought, "Hmm-mm, me need to invent Parachute!" As Grog arrived at his cave Oogoogla was in a rage. "Where have you been? Why are you late? Just look at you, you're a mess! Why do you have a stick hanging out of your arm?" Grog looked down and sure enough.... There was a stick hanging out of a huge gash in his arm. Grog fainted. When he awoke he found that Oogoogla had removed the stick but he was still bleeding. Oogoogla looked at him and said, "Just look at the mess that you are making on my floor, bleeding everywhere like that. And what are you going to do about that tree in our yard?" Now Grog was confused, "Tree in yard?" he asked. "Just go look for yourself," said Oogoogla. Stumbling outside Grog seen that lightening had struck his Tree and now there was a hot, bright substance consuming the tree. Grog was elated, he had invented a new thing, FIRE. Telling Oogoogla of this and how now he was the first inventor she remarked that she hoped it paid more than his last job of "Name Giver." Oogoogla also suggested to Grog that he might also want to consider inventing a way to stop that bleeding he was doing. "No problem," Grog assured her. Bending down Grog mixed some of the ash from the burning tree and some mud from the puddle beside the cave entrance and smeared the gooey mess over his wound. The bleeding stopped and Grog was proud of himself, he had just invented FIRST AID. Early the next day as Oogoogla busied herself about the cave preparing her and Grog's breakfast of wild berries Oogoogla stumbled upon a rock on the cave floor falling full upon the stick that had come from Grog's arm. Her cry of pain awoke Grog and he came running to her side. he noticed that the stick had gone through Oogoogla's navel. Carefully removing the stick Grog looked about the cave floor for something to plug the hole. Picking up a twig from the berries that Oogoogla had been preparing Grog braided the twig and then weaved it into the hole in Oogoogla's navel. Looking down Oogoogla exclaimed, "And what do you call that, First Aid?" "No," Grog responded , "me just invent Body Piercing!" This was too much for Oogoogla. Picking up the stick she heaved it at Grog who, not being too swift failed to dodge it. The stick pierced Grog's ear which of course pleased him to no end but also gave him another idea. Waving bye to Oogoogla Grog announced that he had just invented the spear and he knew just what to do with it. Grog headed back towards the Volcano. "Me show that Saber Toothed Kitty Kitty that me is Boss. " Thought Grog. As fate would have it though, Kitty saw Grog first and sprung to attack. It suddenly dawned on Grog that maybe facing a 900 lb. Kitty with nothing more than a sharp stick was not a good idea. Grog turned and fled thus inventing common sense. As Grog jogged for his life through the jungle he marveled at how wonderful his new job was despite the drawbacks like Oogoogla and Kitty. Grog was so deep in thought however that he failed to notice that another cliff, like the one from the day before and like the day before he fell off of it. This time Grog did not fall into a tree.... he fell into the river. As our hero pulled himself from the water he reveled in his accomplishments. Jogging, fire, first aid, piercing, etc. And now, well now Grog had invented 4 things all at once! Escape, high diving, swimming and of course the first bath. What a week Grog was having! He rushed home to share this news with Oogoogla. "What happened to you!?" Oogoogla wanted to know. Why she had hardly recognized Grog when he came through the cave entrance. He didn't smell bad and he had stopped itching. Grog excitedly explained all that had happened that morning. "Well," said Oogoogla "Maybe this inventing job of yours isn't so bad after all but tell me Grog, what is that on your arm, it looks like a snake and you know how I feel about pets in the house!?" Looking down Grog did see what looked like a snake upon his arm and he tried to brush it off until he realized that it wasn't a snake but something else and quite wonderful. Grabbing Oogoogla, Grog pulled her outside to the burned tree took his spear and carved a design that looked just like a snake upon Oogoogla's arm. Then rubbing ash and mud into it he turned her loose. "Have you lost your mind Grog?" Oogoogla demanded! "What do you think you are doing?" Grog just smiled and Oogoogla went stomping off in a huff. A couple of days later, after Oogoogla had calmed down, Grog lured her to the edge of the river where he proceeded to shove her in. Coming out of the water in a rage Oogoogla picked up a rock and was just getting ready to bash in Grog's head when, smiling still Grog pointed to her arm and there, just like on Grog's arm was a snake. Oogoogla was amazed and pleased. How wonderful this is. She just knew that she would be the envy of all the other cave women. What a beautiful design! Oogoogla knew then and there that her Grog was a true genius and she ran to the cave village to show all of her friends Grog's new invention. Soon cave people were coming from all over to have Grog put snakes onto their arms. Grog stayed busy day and night for 2 solid weeks, hardly sleeping, barely eating and hardly having anytime to do his job of inventing things. Finally one day Grog said, "Me just can't do no more. Me tired." A young cave man who had been waiting for 5 days to see Grog asked him what it would take for him to cut just one more design. Grog thinking about how much trouble Kitty had caused said, "You bring Grog Saber Toothed Kitty's body, Grog cut snake design in arm for you." The young caveman agreed and took Grog's spear to do the job with. The next day the young caveman returned dragging the body of the Saber Toothed Kitty behind him. Grog was pleased. No longer would Kitty bother him but he could also now invent clothes from the Kitty's fur and Bar-B-Q from the Kitty's ribs. Grog instructed the young caveman to sit by the tree. Grog said, "Me do special design just for you, Grog cut picture of Kitty into your arm." This pleased the young caveman but he was very curious too so he asked Grog, "Grog, you are the first inventor is that right?" "That right," said Grog. "And," said the young cave man, "You also named everything?" "True," answered Grog. "Then why," queried the young caveman, " have you not named this new invention of yours." Grog looked puzzled, then embarrassed. He had been so caught up in his excitement over the design cutting in flesh that he had completely forgot to name his invention. Not wanting the young caveman to think him just another dim-witted Neanderthal Grog squared his shoulders and proudly stated, "Me have name for invention.... IT CALLED TATTOO!"AND SO WAS BORN THE FIRST PROFESSIONAL TATTOO ARTIST! Grog tattooed and invented things for many years until one day at the ripe old age of 32 he was eaten by one of the offspring of Kitty. But not before passing on his skills of name giving, inventing, piercing and tattooing to the young caveman whose name was Adam. Adam and Oogoogla married after Grog's death. Oogoogla changed her name to Eve and discovered she had a knack for gardening. Her fruit trees were the envy of all who saw them. But that my friends is another story!

AND NOW THE REAL STORY
Above, you have just read my fictionalized account of how tattooing and piercing began. The truth of the matter is this.... No one truly knows how, where or why BODY ADORNMENT began. Everything is supposition steaming from what little we do know. To accurately paint a picture of the history of Tattooing & Body Piercing one must look at it as a large puzzle with many pieces. What we do know for certain is that tattooing is the oldest form of art in the world, predating cave paintings. Every culture on earth practices body adornment of one form or another and the art is constantly in a stage of transition. Let us look at and connect a few pieces of the puzzle and see what they form.

(note the tattoos on the arms and around the eyes of Egyptian Queen Tsei )

Early man probably stumbled upon it by accident. Early forms of tattooing were done by cutting a design into the skin and then rubbing ash and dirt into it to create a scar called a "Keloid." This form of adornment was seen mostly in Africa among tribes who still practice it today. The purpose of early tattooing was related to cultural and religious beliefs. It was also used as a right of passage. The piercing of the skin for adornment and atonement seems to have steamed from the same cultural needs as tattooing. Piercing can be seen developing with African, Hindu and Oriental cultures. The Greeks and Egyptians were probably the first people to use piercing more widely as a decoration to the body. We know that as early as 2000 BC the Egyptians were practicing tattooing, especially cosmetic forms of the art. Mummies have been found with "Eyeliner" tattoos.

A few years ago a well preserved body was found within a glazier in the Italian Alps. The body is of a hunter who died there 5,200 years ago and was eventually frozen into the glazier. What astounded Scientists the most about this "ICEMAN" was his well preserved tattoos. But these were not just any tattoos these were medicinal tattoos. 47 tattoos covered his body and were located at known acupuncture points. Science had believed that the Chinese had invented acupuncture around the time of Christ. 3000 years later then the Iceman disproves. The tattoos were probably done with a sliver of bone. Charcoal was then rub into the open cuts thus creating the tattoo.

(tattooed lines and crosses were found along the Iceman's spine, knee and ankle joints.)

JAPANESE IREZUMI ARTIST AT WORK

Tattooing is mentioned 6 times in the Bible. In the book of Genesis God punishes Cain for killing his brother Able. Cain fears for his life and worries that he will be killed by other men for his crime. "But the Lord said to him, 'Not so, if anyone kills Cain he will suffer vengeance seven times over.' Then the Lord put a mark upon Cain so that no one who found him would kill him." In the book of Leviticus which is the laying down of the law for the tribes of Israel God says, "Do not cut nor mark thyselves in mourning for the dead as the heathens do." Elijah was given a "Mark" upon on his hand so that the people would know that he was a messenger of God. Early Christians would tattoo a small fish symbol on the inside of their forearms as a sign to other Christians during their persecution by the Romans. This was done from a suggestion by the Apostle Paul in the book of Acts who said, "Mark thy Bodies for Christ." The book of Revelations talks about "The mark of the Beast "He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark upon his right hand or forehead," This mark is the cursed number 666. Last but certainly not least the book of Revelations also tells us this; "On his robe and on his thigh he (Jesus) has his name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS." The Polynesian people practiced a form of tattooing which would cover the lower half of the body and in some cases the whole body including face and hands. These "BODY SUITS" were and are considered a rite of passage into adulthood and it is believed that you are neither man nor woman until the suit is completed. The word "TATTOO" is derived from the Polynesian word "TATU" which means "MARK." The Japanese people probably borrowed the art from the Polynesians and refined it to a point that had henceforth been unheard of, they added color to the tattoo. The Japanese created "CULTURAL" body suits of many colors. This however was an art that was reserved strictly for men. It was unheard of for a woman to have tattoos. The tattoo was believed to be a protection from evil and death especially during battle. That is why you will see fierce warriors, dragons and demons tattooed upon the back of the Japanese collector. It is believed that the "FIERCE" tattoos keep evil from sneaking up behind the wearer of the tattoo. Eventually the art form spread into Asia where it was discovered by the 12th century explorer Marco Polo. Who introduced it into European society.

The Inca's, Aztec's, Mayan's and many Native American tribes practiced tattooing and piercing in many forms. In North America the Iroquois Indians astounded the European settlers and explorers with their heavy body adornments from tattooing to body piercing. Many Native Americans became curiosities in the courts of Europe due to their tattoos and Piercings. In what is now the United States of America the States of Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma were home to the Osage Nation. The Osage tattooed themselves as a form of social status. Unlike other Native American tribes however, the most heavily adorned members were the women. The more tattoos a woman had the higher her social position. Most Native American tattooing was done for ceremonial purposes and many tribes of the Southwest US practiced the art during the annual "SUN DANCE" festival. Young warriors would receive a vision and while within the realm of this vision they would receive their tattoo from a "SHAMAN" or Medicine Man.

HIDATSA WARRIOR FROM 1833

In the late 1800s the first electric drill was produced. This invention lead to the first electric dental drill which in turn lead to the first electric tattoo machine. It is not surprising to discover that the inventor of the first electric tattoo machine was a Dentist. The machine was a "ROTARY" machine and brought about the birth of the modern tattoo era. About 1900 a wall paper hanger in New York City who history remembers by the nick name "LOU THE JEW" became interested in the art of tattooing. Lou thought that the designs on wall paper would make good tattoo designs and he set about creating sheets of these designs which he sold to tattoo studios. These same designs can still be found in one form or another in Tattoo Studios today and are what is usually known as "TRADITIONAL" designs. Tattoo design sheets are traditionally referred to as "FLASH." The term started due to the fact that tattooing, at one time was outlawed in many parts of the US. Most Tattooist worked "UNDERGROUND" so could not readily advertise their product. In New York City where tattooing had become illegal due to a Hepatitis outbreak, Tattooist would carry a book with their design sheet in it. Upon meeting a potential client the Tattooist would "FLASH" some of the designs at the person. If the person was interested they would follow the Tattooist to their studio to get a tattoo. You could not be arrested for "FLASHING" designs, just for offering to or doing a tattoo. Today tattooing is legal in most of the US. Just recently tattooing was legalized in Massachusetts. The exceptions are the States of , South Carolina and Oklahoma where tattooing is still against the law and unsafe underground studios thrive. Interestedly enough however Body Piercing is legal in the 2 aforementioned States.

As we move into the new Millennium tattooing and body piercing move more and more into our everyday life's and more into the mainstream of our culture. Let us not forget however those pioneers from the last century who helped to bring the art of Body Adornment into the 21st century. People like Bert and Gene Grimm, Paul Rodgers, Bob Shaw, Sailor Jerry, Stoney St. Clair, Col. Todd, Jack Armstrong, Singapore John, Lyle Tuttle, Sailor Moses and many, many more to numerous to name here. To all of you who made the Renaissance of this art possible we say, Thank You!

This Page is Dedicated to the Memory of Bert & Gene Grimm.

This site was last updated Tuesday December 08, 2009 10:44:10 PM