People have been getting tattoos throughout all of human history. The earliest human remains available are those of the 5,000-year old Otzi, the Ice Man, from the Bronze Age, who was found to exhibit 57 carbon tattoos. With so many tattoos, it is safe to assume that he wasn’t the first.

Every culture, on every continent, in every century, has used tattoos to decorate, document and display their beliefs, their social status, their opinion, their affiliations, loved ones and even humor.

A tattoo is a permanent mark made under the skin with ink or carbon. The first tattoos were probably accidental. It is generally agreed that the original tattoos occurred when someone had a small cut and then rubbed it with hands dirty from a fire, providing the carbon. After the wound healed, the coloration from the carbon would remain. Other experts claim that prehistoric tattoos were on purpose, in the form of scarification. Sharp sticks and stones were used to cut the skin in the appropriate design. The wound was then “painted” with charred wood from a fire. These acts were religious in nature, bringing the wearer closer to God.

Regardless of how they started, tattos are here to stay. Fortunately, the stigma once associated with tattoos being worn only by renegade bikers and prison inmates has faded and been replaced by more realistic and tolerant views of this art form. And it is art. Tattoos require the same expertise, creativity, skill and knowledge that any other art form demands, perhaps even more so, since the artwork is permanently displayed on one’s body.

There is no denying that the creative nature of tattoos has once again recovered its recognition as a fine art.