Notes and queries on anthropology / edited for the Council of the Anthropological Institute by John George Garson, M.D. and Charles Hercules Read, F.S.A.

Date:
1892
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Notes and queries on anthropology / edited for the Council of the Anthropological Institute by John George Garson, M.D. and Charles Hercules Read, F.S.A. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by University of Bristol Library. The original may be consulted at University of Bristol Library.

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    23. Do they vary with the social or family rank ot tlie individual ? 24. Ave they iu any way hereditary ? 25. Is . the tattooing symmetrical 1 26. With what part of the body does it commeuce ? 27. Is the design executed on some pre- conceived plan ? and is any drawing of it pi'epared before- hand ? 28. Is more than one colour employed ? [It would be very desirable to obtain drawings of a few characteristic designs with native explanations of their meaning.] Cicatrices.—29. Is the body ornamented in any way with raised cicatrices 1 30. How are they made ? and what are the substances rubbed into tliem ? 31. Do they vary according to the tribe or rank of the individual ? 32. Is the operation attended with much paiu or disturbance to the general health ? 33. At what age are they made ? [In the answers to this and the two preceding sections, it would be particirlarly desirable to obtain photographs or drawings.] A. W. F. The following examples have been selected as suggesting points for inquiry. In India lines are painted on either side the mouth of native women. In Fiji their only tattoo-marks are at the corners of the mouth ; and in Easter Island, in the South Pacific, the fleshy parts of their lips used to be tattooed. This is distinctive of marriage amongst the Ainos, where the custom still prevails In Birmah and Laos, as well as Samoa and Easter Island, it was the practice a short time ago to tattoo the body from the navel to the knee. The marks maybe often concealed by the dress, as in the case of the king of Birmah (Crawford). It is desirable, therefore, that travellers should inquire when amongst semicivilized peoples whether they have tattoo-marks beneath their robes, more especially in Arabia and Northern and North-western Asia, where it is known that the custom of tattooing once prevailed. The following are some further particulars regarding which mformation is I'equired.