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You know that one good tank top that you wear like all year round? I mean it fits you just right so you wear it all the time but maybe now it's getting a little old. Shifting my wardrobe from summer to fall is always a challenge. Luckily, Quince offers timeless and high quality items that I
I love so I can make sure my wardrobe stays fresh and I don't blow my budget. They've got cashmere sweaters from $50, pants for every occasion, washable silk tops. And my favorite part, all Quince items are priced 50 to 80% less than similar brands. By partnering directly with top factories, Quince cuts out the cost of the middleman
and passes the savings on to us. And Quince only works with factories that use safe, ethical, and responsible manufacturing practices and premium fabrics and finishes. I recently got this 100% European linen short sleeve shirt. Ooh, I love linen. And you know, it was so comfortable, so cute. I can finally retire my old ratty tank top.
RIP. Make switching seasons a breeze with Quince's high quality closet essentials. Go to quince.com slash dark history for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's quince, Q-U-I-N-C-E dot com slash dark history to get free shipping and 365 day returns. quince.com slash dark history.
This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Most of you listening right now are probably multitasking. Yep, while you're listening to me talk, you're probably also driving, cleaning, exercising, or maybe even grocery shopping. But if you're not in some kind of moving vehicle, there's something else you could be doing right now. Getting an auto quote from Progressive Insurance.
It's easy and you can save money by doing it from your phone. Drivers who save by switching to Progressive save nearly $750 on average. And auto customers qualify for an average of seven discounts. Discounts for having multiple vehicles on your policy, being a homeowner and more.
So just like your favorite podcast, Progressive will be with you 24-7, 365 days a year, so you're protected no matter what. Multitask right now. Quote your car insurance at Progressive.com to join the over 28 million drivers who trust Progressive.
Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. National average 12-month savings of $744 by new customer survey who saved with Progressive between June 2022 and May 2023. Potential savings will vary. Discounts not available in all states and situations. Tattoos have always been a little controversial. But what if I told you tram stamps used to be a source of magic?
Tattoos created a whole class of criminals in Japan. And did you know back in America's early days, the best way to prove your patriotism was to get a big fat tattoo of George Washington. Hot. So what do tattoos say about us? And why are we so obsessed with them?
Hi friends, I hope you're having a wonderful day today. My name is Bailey Sarian and I'd like to welcome you to my podcast, Dark History. Now if you're new here, this is a chance to tell the story like it is and to share the history of stuff that we would never think about. So all you have to do is sit back, relax, and just let me ramble and tell you all about that hot, juicy history goss. Okay.
I remember the first time I ever saw a tattoo. I do, I remember this. My kindergarten teacher, actually not the teacher, but the teacher's assistant, the teacher's first mate. I forgot what her title was, but her name was Laura. Hey, Laura. Laura, Laura. Well, Miss Laura always came to class with an iced coffee in hand. She also had box dyed hair that was always changing. And one day as she was passing out crayons,
She like bent over to pick up one of the crayons and boof, there it was. It was a butter on her. She got some secrets.
Anyone with a butterfly tattoo on their lower back has secrets. You've got them. And then of course, as I got older, I heard the term tramp stamp, which I'm sure we can all agree here is a very slut-shamy term. Thank you so much. But where did this all start? Have tattoos always had this bad rep? I needed answers.
Now, if you've ever seen me before, you could say that I've definitely dabbled in the world of tattoos. My skin at this point is, I consider it a museum. It's a work of art.
I'm an art collector. But I had no idea when I was first starting to get tattooed that what I was doing was actually an ancient tradition. And the tramp stamp? Well, perhaps the most ancient and beautiful tradition of them all. Buckle up, ladies and germs, because today's episode, we are getting into the nitty, the gritty, the beautiful and devastating history of tattoos.
- Joan has gotten some work done. If you're watching this over on YouTube, she is covered in, would you call this a sleeve, Joan? I would call this a sleeve. I have one too. She also started smoking. Most of the stereotypes is that people who get tattoos smoke. And where that might be true, Joan, it's kind of rude, 'cause I quit and I want that cigarette. Joan!
Now, if you don't know, tattoos have been around for thousands of years. And they have been found in unexpected places, on unexpected people, and for unexpected reasons. I'm talking from all over the body to small little finger tattoos. I mean, these are old as shit. Thigh tattoos, also ancient. The tramp stamp, as I've mentioned, tail as old as time. And you're probably wondering, okay, Bailey, but how do we actually know this?
Well, for starters, it's because archaeologists found a 5,000-year-old mummy with tattoos. This mummy, he was built different. Literally, his name was Otzi. Otzi was an Iceman who died over 5,000 years ago up in the Italian Alps. And when he was discovered about 30 years ago, he was found like face down on a mountain, which
Which honestly was like, I was like, ah, me. Literally, I did a hike back in like 2019. That was the last time I did a hike because I just fell face down in the dirt and I gave up. Where was I going with that? I'm not sure. But what I'm getting at is it was a huge moment for the scientific community. Otzi, not my hike. So Otzi's body was accidentally mummified. In other words, it was preserved almost perfectly by the snow and ice that covered him quickly after he died. Now, because of this,
We know a lot about him, maybe a little too much, but I kind of love it. We also know that he was left-handed, had cavities, and was 46 when he died and had 61 tattoos. This little detail in particular blew archeologists away
Because before the Otzi was found, they had never found evidence of any tattoos in this time period when Otzi was alive. Now there was something unusual about Otzi's tattoos. The scientists, they reasoned that what they were actually seeing was ancient medicine. Otzi had these tattoos on his body specifically in places where he had wear and tear on his joints and bones.
And this led scientists to the conclusion that Otzi was using his tattoos for healing purposes. Basically, he would cut into the area that was bothering him and rub the charcoal into the wound, creating a tattoo. This was a practice that was believed to help heal. I mean, they had to get creative, right?
I'm wondering if it worked, actually. Obviously. These tattoos weren't too fancy though. I mean, they were all like little lines, sometimes crosses. But what's especially crazy is that quite a few of Otzi's tattoos are in the same places as modern day acupuncture pressure points. So, you know, when you go get acupuncture and they put all those needles in you and they put them in certain spots. So maybe, you know, they did this to give Otzi some relief with the charcoal in the wound.
That's what, yeah, sounds about right. For me personally, I am just like Otzi. Look, I also use tattoos for healing. Usually after a breakup or something major in my life happens, I tend to get a new tattoo. I don't know why, but I get it, Otzi. I'm there with you. I consider it like, kind of like reclaiming my body. You know what I mean? Starting a new chapter. It's just therapeutic.
And people thousands of years ago apparently believed that too. Yeah, it wasn't just Otzi either. You know that one good tank top that you wear like all year round? I mean, it fits you just right. So you wear it all the time, but maybe now it's getting a little old.
Shifting my wardrobe from summer to fall is always a challenge. Luckily, Quince offers timeless and high quality items that I love so I can make sure my wardrobe stays fresh and I don't blow my budget. They've got cashmere sweaters from $50, pants for every occasion, washable silk tops, and my favorite part,
All Quince items are priced 50 to 80% less than similar brands. By partnering directly with top factories, Quince cuts out the cost of the middleman and passes the savings on to us. And Quince only works with factories that use safe, ethical, and responsible manufacturing practices
and premium fabrics and finishes. I recently got this 100% European linen short sleeve shirt. Ooh, I love linen and you know, it was so comfortable, so cute. I can finally retire my old ratty tank top.
R.I.P. Make switching seasons a breeze with Quince's high quality closet essentials. Go to quince.com slash dark history for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's quince, Q-U-I-N-C-E dot com slash dark history to get free shipping and 365 day returns. quince.com slash dark history.
This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Most of you listening right now are probably multitasking. Yep, while you're listening to me talk, you're probably also driving, cleaning, exercising, or maybe even grocery shopping. But if you're not in some kind of moving vehicle, there's something else you could be doing right now. Getting an auto quote from Progressive Insurance.
It's easy and you can save money by doing it from your phone. Drivers who save by switching to Progressive save nearly $750 on average. And auto customers qualify for an average of seven discounts. Discounts for having multiple vehicles on your policy, being a homeowner and more.
So just like your favorite podcast, Progressive will be with you 24-7, 365 days a year, so you're protected no matter what. Multitask right now. Quote your car insurance at Progressive.com to join the over 28 million drivers who trust Progressive. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. National average 12-month savings of $744 by new customer survey who saved with Progressive between June 2022 and May 2023. Potential savings will vary. Discounts not available in all states and situations.
We also know that ancient Egyptians between 4,000 and 3,500 BC were also getting tattoos, but unlike other cultures, it looks like in Egypt, tattoos were only for women.
Which, love. I freaking love Egypt. They're the shit. And apparently, the most important tattoo an ancient Egyptian woman could have was a tramp stamp on her lower back. It was believed that having a tattoo there would actually protect you during childbirth. And it kind of makes sense that they'd want some kind of protection because throughout history, childbirth has been extremely dangerous and even deadly still to this day, right? So it's like, yeah. So these ancient Egyptian women would pray to the goddess of fertility,
hather and really do whatever they could to like have her protection on the big day but there were some important rules associated with these powerful tramp stamps it is believed that these tattoos were only quote unquote activated or worked correctly if all of the women involved in the birth i'm talking like the midwives and any priestesses who were there
also had the same tattoo. Another popular tattoo that Egyptian women would get if they were expecting looked almost like a belt made up of dots. This was supposed to bring good luck and protect the child during pregnancy. It was believed that these would act like a net, like expanding with the stomach during those nine months and keep any dark magic like evil spirits or demons from entering the womb.
So slut-shaming is also a tale as old as time because up until pretty recently, tattoos were totally dismissed by historians. One archeologist named Louis Kamer wrote a book in 1948 all about tattooing in ancient Egypt. And in it said that all tattooed women in Egypt were quote, "prostitutes of dubious morality."
So yes, he claimed all tattooed women in ancient Egypt were sex workers. And because of that, he called them morally dubious, which is, you know, pretty much saying that this person has questionable morals. Lewis's theory was that these tattoos were given to prostitutes who had sexually transmitted infections, kind of like a warning label, you know, like, hey, this person has crabs, just FYI.
So this was an interesting theory, but everyone rolled with it because it seemed like the most logical explanation until infrared imaging came along.
Now, infrared imaging is an amazing tool scientists developed fairly recently that basically shows way more detail than the naked eye, like evidence of tattoos on shriveled up mummy skin and hieroglyphics on tombs. And armed with this imaging technique, scientists figured out that Louie was freaking wrong. Tattoos weren't for prostitutes with STIs at all.
In fact, tons of high-ranking women in ancient times had tattoos, especially in ancient Egypt. Many of the tattooed female mummies that early archaeologists found were buried at Deir el-Bahari, which was an area specifically for royal and elite burials.
Amunet, a mummified high priestess who was discovered in 1891, was given a very prestigious burial and had tattoos which blows old Louis' theory out of the water. The funny thing is, when they first discovered Amunet's body, those dusty old archaeologists wrote her off as, quote, probably a royal concubine because of her tattoos. They honestly probably gave her that name because they couldn't believe that like a woman could have so much power and whatnot. Damn it.
Historians have also found there is an important connection between sexuality and the tattoos they found on Egyptian women. Many of their tombs have included ceramic figurines with matching tattoos and belts made of cow rye shells, which are a huge symbol of femininity in ancient Egypt. Scholars think it's likely that these figurines were included in the tombs in order for the mummified women to continue her sex life in the afterlife.
And yeah, just because you're dead doesn't mean you can't old men in the and suck their and in their mouth and and then I don't know.
And just like today, Egyptian women had their own tattoo trends. It was common for musicians and dancers to get tattoos of the goddess Bess on their thighs and chest since she was the protector of women, homes, and children. As far as tattoo methods go, the Egyptians did something pretty similar to the modern day stick and poke. They used a wooden handle with seven sharp needles on the end. They would punch these needles into the skin to create the patterns.
"and rub the ink over the skin at the end "so it could absorb into those holes "in whatever shape you chose. "To help heal the tattoo, "the ancient Egyptian women would rub human breast milk "over their new tattoo." Which actually kind of makes a lot of sense. Have you ever put like a milk over a sunburn? It helps like your sunburn heal a lot faster. And when you put it over a tattoo, I'm gonna try this. Anybody have some breast milk I can borrow?
Or just have actually. Let me know. From start to finish, it seems like the whole tattoo process in ancient Egypt pretty much revolved around childbirth. Which is pretty dang cool because it takes on a whole different meaning in other parts of the world. I mean, especially in ancient Japan. Now I have to say I'm very excited to talk about this because one time I went to Japan, this was years ago, and I fell in love. Japan is so cool. The culture,
In Tokyo, because I went to Tokyo. So, I mean, it's next level. The energy, the people, the food. It was so clean there. Wow. I loved it. It was amazing. I want to go back. I can't. I was only there for like three days. Not enough time. Would not recommend. And there's something else they've been doing right for thousands of years. Tattoos. And their contribution to the history of tattooing is very controversial. It all starts during a time called the Jomon Period.
from around 10,000 BC to 300 BC. Archaeologists found similar clay figurines dating back to this period in Japan, and they were pretty similar to the ones I just mentioned in Egypt. They had intricate decorations on them, which turned out to be tattoos. The Japanese have a beautiful word for tattoos. They called them irithyphs.
Tsumi and these Japanese Iori Tsumi have been associated with so many different meanings over the years. Some men would get tattoos for protection especially against like large fish. The big players in charge.
As time goes by, Japanese tattoos become more about a sign of your rank in society, like what tribe you're from and how important you are. But then in 1600 AD, in Japan's Edo period, something happens that changes the course of tattoos. You know that one good tank top that you wear like all year round? I mean, it fits you just right. So you wear all the...
time, but maybe now it's getting a little old. Shifting my wardrobe from summer to fall is always a challenge. Luckily, Quince offers timeless and high quality items that I love so I can make sure my wardrobe stays fresh and I don't blow my budget. They've got cashmere sweaters from $50, pants for every occasion, washable silk tops, and my favorite part,
All Quince items are priced 50 to 80% less than similar brands. By partnering directly with top factories, Quince cuts out the cost of the middleman and passes the savings on to us. And Quince only works with factories that use safe, ethical, and responsible manufacturing practices
and premium fabrics and finishes. I recently got this 100% European linen short sleeve shirt. Ooh, I love linen and you know, it was so comfortable, so cute. I can finally retire my old ratty tank top.
R.I.P. Make switching seasons a breeze with Quince's high quality closet essentials. Go to quince.com slash dark history for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's quince, Q-U-I-N-C-E dot com slash dark history to get free shipping and 365 day returns. quince.com slash dark history.
This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Most of you listening right now are probably multitasking. Yep, while you're listening to me talk, you're probably also driving, cleaning, exercising, or maybe even grocery shopping. But if you're not in some kind of moving vehicle, there's something else you could be doing right now. Getting an auto quote from Progressive Insurance.
It's easy and you can save money by doing it from your phone. Drivers who save by switching to Progressive save nearly $750 on average. And auto customers qualify for an average of seven discounts. Discounts for having multiple vehicles on your policy, being a homeowner and more.
So just like your favorite podcast, Progressive will be with you 24-7, 365 days a year, so you're protected no matter what. Multitask right now. Quote your car insurance at Progressive.com to join the over 28 million drivers who trust Progressive.
Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. National average 12-month savings of $744 by new customer survey who saved with Progressive between June 2022 and May 2023. Potential savings will vary. Discounts not available in all states and situations. To history forever. At this time, a powerful military government ran the country from a town known as Edo, which is now...
Tokyo. This was a pretty iconic time in Japan. I mean, the arts were flourishing, fashion was colorful, the economy was booming, and people started to flock to cities. The population of Edo grew to over 1 million people, which made it one of the biggest cities in the world at that time. Before the Edo period, a common punishment for crimes was amputation of the nose, fingers, and ears. But in 1720, tattooing replaced amputation as a form of punishment.
Crimes like stealing and fraud would be punished with a specific tattoo, like a black ring around your arm. Or even the name of the crime would be put on your frickin' forehead. And this was so the other people would know what you did. It's a sign you literally cannot take off. Branded for life. That fuckin' sucks. Sometimes there was a three-strike policy. Each crime was punished by a single mark. And by the third mark, you were out. Yeah, it was like the death penalty. Yeah. Yeah.
Good luck. This was an easy way of identifying repeat offenders before fingerprinting and all the technology we have now, but instead it actually created a worse problem. People who were committing crimes had this permanent tattoo on them, kind of like a scarlet letter stamped on their freaking face, right? And even if they saw the light and they regretted what they did, it didn't matter.
The tattoo meant that people treated you differently for as long as you lived. Imagine you have a tattoo on your forehead that said like, "I stole a pair of earrings from Claire's in 2005." You know, like bangs can only cover so much shit. Plus that's gotta hurt.
How would it look as it wrinkles? So over time, these people feel like outcasts, obviously, and are pushed out from society. They decide if they're always going to be seen as criminals, they might as well be a criminal. I mean, what other choice do you really have? The tattoos ultimately created a new class of citizens. They were literally referred to as the Untouchables. Like,
Like people wouldn't touch them with a 10 foot pole. This class only got bigger because people continued to commit crimes. And over time, people started making homes and raising their families right there in these tattooed communities. So this quote criminal class of people decided to lean in and started getting more and more tattoos. Over time, they would get so many tattoos that their entire bodies were covered.
And some did it to just hide their criminal tattoos. And others did it as a way to reclaim the power that the punishment tattoo took away. Rather than looking at their criminal tattoo as shameful, their full body art became a point of power and pride. The Japanese used a similar hand poke method like in Egypt, but it was called tabori, which translates to hand carve.
which sounds very painful. But there's a long stick with a group of needles on the end, which are dipped into ink and then jabbed into the skin in a flicking motion. But because these tattoos were so intricate and colorful, they could take months to finish. And not only that, they were actually pretty toxic. Yeah.
During the Edo period, powdered arsenic, which is a toxic and deadly substance, was added to tattoo ink to make it darker and last longer. People started reporting that they were having like allergic reactions and a whole bunch of other health complications, and eventually they would have to stop using it. But even this couldn't slow down the tattoo culture in Japan.
In fact, it probably only gave it more of an edge. And this is when the criminal class takes a step further and starts to enlist in the Yakuza. The Yakuza are known around the world as very powerful, very influential, organized crime groups in Japan. I'm talking everything from murders in broad daylight to political corruption to white-collar crime. I mean, they go all the way back to the Edo period.
They also are known for helping the community in times of crisis. For example, after a huge earthquake in 1995, they were one of the first groups at the disaster site giving help to those who need it. So there's
Two sides to the story, you know? Most members of the yukuza can be identified by their full body tattoos. Over time, these full body tattoos became a sign of loyalty to certain gangs and were associated with organized crime, which is why to this day, some people still feel scared when they see a tattooed person in Japan.
In the 1870s, tattoos were actually banned for a period of time. But we all know like when you ban something, it just makes it more fun and you wanna do it. So tattoos, as they always do, made a comeback. But they still had a bad rep over there. When I visited Japan, I went to the spa. It was like, you know,
a spa right and they had this beautiful pool and I was like oh my god I'm so excited I'm gonna go to one of these spas like go into the pool and I was walking up to get into the pool as one does and I started to take off my uh my robe and then this woman who worked there she came up to me and started shouting at me and I was like what like oh my god what what what like she was panicking she was like do not get in the pool I was like oh my god is there like a body in there or something like
what? But she had explained that if my tattooed ass had gone into the water, I would poison the water. Yeah. So she's like, you can't go in. You cannot get in the water. You're going to contaminate the water. We're going to have to drain the pool. Do not go in. I didn't argue with her. I mean, look, I'm not in the States. I'm not going to act like, no, I was just like, oh my God, I'm so sorry. I covered myself and left. I was so embarrassed. You know, I'm not going to be a piece of shit.
But I found that very interesting. And naturally, when I was in Japan, I was like, "What the fuck was that about?" And then when I looked it up, that's when I found out that tattoos are a lot of times just straight up banned in lots of locations like bathhouses, which is, I think that's where I was at, like a communal spa situation.
So that was my experience and I thought I would share it. You're welcome. Even though tattoos are pretty controversial, they do have a big ass festival once a year where men with full body tattoos march in the streets wearing nothing but like, they kind of look like a white thong.
It's kind of hot. So here's something interesting I learned. You know the word stigma, like having a bad rap for something you did or maybe you were accused of doing? Well, the Latin origin of that word means a brand or scar or a tattoo.
A stigma equaled a bad mark, and these stigmas would allow the time be tied to enslaved people or criminals like the untouchable class. I mean we do see this throughout history time and time again. In the Nazi concentration camps, tattoos of a serial number were given to prisoners to keep track of them, like you would with property and not people. And remember the gulags back in our Stalin episode? Well the gulags were
big on criminal tattoos. I actually have a couple of books about it currently reading, and it's shocking. The Siberian officials that ran these gulags believed that rape was one of the worst crimes a man could commit, and as a punishment, they would decorate these sexual offenders with some insanely graphic tattoos.
One of them from my book shows two hands opening up a vagina with an eye. Below it, in Russian, there's a sentence that essentially says, I'm a rapist, so you can rape me. You know, eye for an eye, I guess. These tattoos made their lives a living hell, if living in Siberia in a gulag wasn't already enough. So tattoos were a form of punishment in tons of cultures, and not just in Japan. But of course, not in America. At least not like in the early days.
I'm looking at you. You know that one good tank top that you wear like all year round? I mean, it fits you just right. So you wear it all the time, but maybe now it's getting a little old. Shifting my wardrobe from summer to fall is always a challenge. Luckily, Quince offers timeless and high quality items that I love.
love so I can make sure my wardrobe stays fresh and I don't blow my budget. They've got cashmere sweaters from $50, pants for every occasion, washable silk tops. And my favorite part, all Quince items are priced $50 to
80% less than similar brands. By partnering directly with top factories, Quince cuts out the cost of the middleman and passes the savings on to us. And Quince only works with factories that use safe, ethical, and responsible manufacturing practices
and premium fabrics and finishes. I recently got this 100% European linen short sleeve shirt. Ooh, I love linen and you know, it was so comfortable, so cute. I can finally retire my old ratty tank top.
RIP. Make switching seasons a breeze with Quince's high quality closet essentials. Go to quince.com slash dark history for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's quince, Q-U-I-N-C-E dot com slash dark history to get free shipping and 365 day returns. quince.com slash dark history.
This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Most of you listening right now are probably multitasking. Yep, while you're listening to me talk, you're probably also driving, cleaning, exercising, or maybe even grocery shopping. But if you're not in some kind of moving vehicle, there's something else you could be doing right now. Getting an auto quote from Progressive Insurance.
It's easy and you can save money by doing it from your phone. Drivers who save by switching to Progressive save nearly $750 on average. And auto customers qualify for an average of seven discounts. Discounts for having multiple vehicles on your policy, being a homeowner, and more. So just like your favorite podcast, Progressive will be with you 24, 7, 365 days a year so you're protected no matter what.
Number one meal kit.
In indigenous America, tattoos were an important part of society, especially for a civilization known as the Mississippian culture. From the years 1200 to 1600 AD, researchers found that tattooing was a sacred practice in Mississippian culture. And we know this because they had something called effigy pots, which were these clay pots that were in the shape of a human head. The pots had beautiful painted surfaces that represented what the people of this tribe looked like back then,
like holes around the face that meant they had piercings, and also deep markings that meant they also had tattoos. To the Mississippian, these tattoos were incredibly sacred. The Mississippian would get tattoos in honor of their god Birdman, who represented the triumph of life over death. And these tattoos usually looked like feathers or talons around the eye area.
and on the size of their faces. They were believed to carry properties that could assist you in life, kind of like the Egyptian fertility tattoos, except that they relied on them in battle. During battle, they believed that these Birdman tattoos could act as snares or like traps.
and catch the literal soul of an enemy that they killed. And having their soul meant your lifespan got longer. And not only would you benefit from this, but your family would benefit too. Capturing souls in battle meant that it was easier for your family to continue on to the afterlife.
I mean, it's kind of beautiful, right? It really takes the meaning of a tattoo to a whole new level. But then one man comes along and honestly does his best to ruin it forever. His treatment of indigenous Americans is truly one of the worst things to happen in the history of the world. Now he's someone we've talked about in this podcast a lot, a Dark History Douche Canoe Award winner.
You guess who it is yet? I'm talking about Andrew Bathsalts Jackson. Oh, how I missed him. Welcome back, Mr. Jackson.
Now, if you watched our Trail of Tears episode from season one, you'll know that President Andrew Jackson signed into law something called the Indian Removal Act in 1830. The whole point of this was really to screw over and murder Indigenous Americans so Jackson could take their homes and take their land. Thousands of Indigenous Americans died because they understandably fought back and didn't want to leave their homes.
Sometimes there was a way for indigenous Americans to keep their land. And that was by being forced to whitewash themselves, you know, to be a little bit more like their Christian settlers. In the 1830s, the government labeled many indigenous American customs and traditions as quote,
Uncivilized. Remember those Spanish conquistadors who didn't approve of tooth decoration in our oral hygiene episode? It's the same thing here. By this point, the Mississippian culture had been pretty much killed off because those European explorers
brought over diseases and the indigenous Americans had no natural immunity. It was a death sentence. Sadly, a lot of their ways of tattooing died along with them. But today other indigenous tattoo artists are finding ways to preserve
what indigenous groups like the Mississippians lost. The artists are reclaiming what was stolen and also connecting with their past. As Dion Kazzas, a Canadian tattoo artist who aims to preserve traditional and cultural indigenous tattoo practices puts it, "My existence is a testament to the strength and resilience of my ancestors.
whose tears, prayers, and blood paid the price for me to do the work that I do today. Having a tattoo makes you different. It makes you stand out. And a lot of people have a problem with that, especially in religious communities. I mean, we all know they're the first to remind you that your body is a temple. I just like to decorate my temple. Oh my God, it's so boring. It has white walls. Put some art on it.
And this anti-tattoo vibe is something that was carried into society for a long time.
I mean, it's kind of still a thing today. So Andrew Jackson was probably responsible for whitewashing America, but this started to change during the Revolutionary War. Americans who were fighting in battle would sometimes get patriotic tattoos to celebrate their country. But of course, this time it was like, okay, tattoos are okay now, you know, because they're not tribal tattoos. They were cool American tattoos.
but like this was the main go-to way to show off your patriotism. Basically, instead of mounting an American flag on your Silverado, you would get a portrait of George Washington's face tattooed across your chest. Literally though, people were doing this. Another popular tattoo was a portrait of the goddess Columbia,
who represented liberty and America itself. I know, I was thinking to myself, who's the goddess Columbia? I've never heard of her, but we've actually all seen her. You know that woman who's holding the torch before the movies?
Same lady. But tattoos didn't make their way into mainstream society until the Civil War. That's right. Not only did the soldiers bring the masses oral hygiene, they also brought us tattoos. It's kind of funny because before they went to war, most men swore they would never get the tattoos, but many people, soldiers especially, changed their minds about tattoos for a
couple of reasons. They would get the names of their fallen comrades tattooed on them to remember them. And they'd also get a tattoo of their name just in case, you know, like if they got killed and they were unrecognizable, they would reference the tattoo. This was important because if you didn't have a way of being identified, you would end up being buried and your family would have no idea what happened to you.
There's a story about a man named Harold who was injured and totally disfigured while fighting in the Battle of Hastings during the Middle Ages. When the fuck is the Middle Ages? I know. But he was just unrecognizable. When they brought him back to be identified by his partner, her name was Edith, the only way they were able to ID him was by a tattoo he got on his chest that said Edith and England. Aww. He was so sad and so sweet and so sad.
So next time you're sleeping with a guy and he takes off his shirt and it says like, Stanford 1988. Just remember, the soldiers back then actually did that as a way to be ID'd. And that's special because I used to think that was so douchey. But then once I found this out, I was like, oh, that makes sense.
I mean, obviously they're not doing it now for like to be ID'd, but you never know. Anyways, the way they tattooed Civil War soldiers was described as excruciating. I guess they'd start by like mixing up ink and like wet gunpowder. Honestly, that's badass, right? That's America in a nutshell.
And then the tattoo artist would take like six to eight needles and then prick the person's skin with the ink and just jab for a few hours. I mean, that's pretty basic. If you've gotten a tattoo, you know, like this shit gets swollen and inflamed for a few days. Then afterwards they'd sanitize it with anything from water to urine, you know? I mean, if it's good for a jellyfish sting, it has to be good for a tattoo. They'd even use rum or brandy if they had it laying around. I mean, if it works, cool. If not, you could always drink it.
Pretty soon, every military base had their version of tattoo artists with needles and ink just ready to go. It was seen as a way to unify the men. And these tattoos really became the blueprint for classic tattoos you even see today. I'm talking the classic like waving flags, shields, anchors, you know, the naked ladies, maybe a musket or two, the classics.
Even though Egyptian women had been tattooing themselves for hundreds of years before America existed, a woman with a tattoo was still very taboo in America. I mean, if American society wasn't letting us vote or wear pants until well into the late 1900s, they definitely weren't letting us get into the tattoo game, you know? That is, until one woman said, "'Screw that!'
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Maud was born in 1877 in the middle of Kansas. By the time she was in her 20s, she was working in the world of traveling circuses as a contortionist and trapeze artist. Now, in her early years in the circus, she didn't actually have any tattoos. While she was on tour, they made a stop at the St. Louis World Fair.
She went there and right away she had gotten asked out by a famous tattoo artist named Gus Wagner, who must have found her attractive. Mott agreed to go on a date with him, but in exchange, only if he like gave her a lesson in tattooing.
Gus agreed and just a few months later, the two of them ended up getting married. And also during this time, Maude found that she was actually really good at tattooing. After their whirlwind romance, Maude eventually becomes covered in tattoos. I mean, whole thing, full sleeves, complete all of her body. And she ends up with so many that she becomes famous for them as well as becoming a world renowned artist herself.
This made Maude the first female tattoo artist in America, which is huge. And then in 1891, a man named Samuel O'Reilly invented the first tattooing machine. Now this made getting a tattoo so much easier than by hand and also made tattoos a lot more popular. The machine had an ink reservoir in the electric tattoo pin, which tattooed the skin almost 25 times faster per second.
Now, customers were lining up to get these less painful and less expensive tattoos, and they became kind of a trend. But Maude and Gus, they refused to conform to the use of the electric tattoo machine like a lot of other tattoo artists at the time.
They kept things old fashioned and used something called the Hokey Pokey method, which is similar to the stick and poke. Maude is famous for bringing tattoos from the big fancy cities on the coast to everyday people in middle America and for being just a badass woman who was proud to be in her tattooed body during a time when women were constantly being silenced and really not allowed to be their own person in society.
Also, Maude and Gus had a daughter together. Her name was Lovetta. And even more iconic, they taught her how to tattoo at the age of seven. Imagine getting a tattoo by a seven-year-old. Ah, sign me up. Lovetta went on to become a tattoo artist just like her parents.
But, very fun fact, she herself never got any tattoos. She became one of the only tattoo artists of her time to never be tattooed herself. Legend has it, Maude refused to let Gus tattoo Lovetta for whatever reason. Some tattoo artists have rules where they won't tattoo loved ones. I don't know, I've encountered that before.
Just throwing that in there, maybe that's the case, I don't know. So Lovetta decided if her father could tattoo her, then no one could, you know? Well, I'm sure her dad decided that too, 'cause that's also another rule in the tattoo world. There's a lot of rules in the tattoo world. You don't want to tattoo your own family
or like someone that you love, like a partner or something, because they see it as you putting your partner through physical pain. So they'll have like another well-respected artist do it. And a lot of the times if their parents are tattoo artists, they won't let anyone else tattoo their child. It's so weird. And I don't, they just, it's just like the rules. Anyways, I mean, maybe he doesn't want shitty tattoos on his kid.
Facts. Look, tattoos have evolved over time. The machines have gotten better, right? There's even ones that are like battery operated, which is wild, but it's a lot easier to get tattooed now. Nowadays, there's this thing called microneedle tattoos. Have you heard of this? It's almost like one of those temporary tattoos you get from a quarter machine, but it comes in the form of a little patch. It's called microneedle because the side of the sticker that adheres to your skin has a bunch of
itty bitty teeny tiny needles coated with ink. You like push it in and it gives you a tattoo and there's no bleeding. I don't
The people who invented it made it for people who are scared of sitting through a long ass painful tattoo. It's also for people who need medical tattoos that show you have, for example, diabetes or epilepsy so you don't have to wear those medical bracelets all the time, which is cool, great. Even though tattooing has totally evolved, people still crave the old poke and stick method.
It's making a comeback. I mean, it's been consistent. I wanted to do it, but I chickened out. I mean, stick and poke takes like a really long time, takes total precision. I mean, it's a beautiful art to be heavily respected, let me tell you. Some cultures believe tattoos were sacred.
Some thought that they were signs of a criminal and others saw them as signs that you were indeed a proud American. But at the end of the day, getting a tattoo should be a personal choice, right? And when it comes to what we put on our bodies, choose wisely because tattoos never go away, honey. Okay? And if you're gonna be dumb and get a tattoo, you can't be stupid. Plan ahead, find a good artist,
It's worth the money because it's on you until you die and make sure to take care of it afterwards. Got it? Don't get garage tattoos. Don't let a friend practice on you. You can't be stupid if you're gonna be dumb. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk. If any of you have fun, interesting tattoos and you want to show me or tell me about it, let me know down in the comment section or tag your favorite artist because I'm looking to get the back of my thigh done.
Well, everyone, thank you for learning with me today. Remember, don't be afraid to ask questions to get the whole story because you deserve that. I'd love to hear your guys' reactions. So make sure to use the hashtag Dark History over on social media so I can follow along. And join me over on my YouTube where you can actually watch these episodes on Thursday after the podcast airs. And while you're there, you can also catch my murder mystery and makeup. I hope you have a great rest of your day. You make good choices and I'll be talking to you next week. Goodbye.
Dark History is an Audioboom original. This podcast is executive produced by Bailey Sarian High, Junia McNeely from 3Arts, Kevin Grush, and Matt Enloe from Maiden Network. A big thank you to our writers, Joey Scavuzzo, Katie Burris, Allison Filobos, and me, Bailey Sarian. Writer's assistant, Casey Colton.
Production lead, Brian Jaggers. Research provided by the Dark History Researcher team. A special thank you to our expert, Mike Freeman. And I'm your host, Bailey Sarian.
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