Reflecting on Tattoos and Slavery
I find it really weird when people run away or talk negative about tattoos. Tattoo did not just started recently but have been in existence for long now since the ancient times. Religion has really caused a lot of barriers to body modification and the beauty of art on the body. I see tattoo as beauty and very fascinating.
Photo by Brittany Salatino from Pexels
My first experienece with tattoos wasd through my grandma, she had a tattoo with a weird name or should i say abbreviation on it, when in asked her about it, she told me that is was given to her and her colleagues where she do work before as a means of identification. Then i find it as lovely approach but growing up made me understand that this was like an advanced slavery, whereby the master draws a permanent mark on the worker just to proof that is is my permanent worker or should i say slave, but one things i love about this is that even with the weird name, it still looks good on her.
I feel the aspect of tattoo and slavery has been in existence long ago even before slavery, whereby a master draws a mark on his family or workers to identify his own. I remember watching a movie that the master drew a tattoo on his children to identify them before he has a lot of wife's and children. It is in this modern world that people see tattoo as an unnecessary irrelevant act probably because of religion or historical family beliefs.
I will love to get a tattoo on my chest, i mean a lion tattoo, because this represent courage and boldness, not for slavery but for body modification. Having a tattoo will be really great and I wouldn't hesitate to get one is i have the chance presently.
Photo by Thato Moiketsi from Pexels
I read it online, that almost every country embraced this form of lifestyle, whereby drawing tattoo as a means of identification during the time of slavery. In my country during the colonialism of white, i have seen people on chains in pictures of historical written documents on how tattoos where drawn with hot iron on our forefather head and hand to identify them. I can even imagine how long i might have survived then, it wouldn't have been really easy for anyone. I might have even committed suicides seeing how much.
I know little knowledge about slavery but i feel like giving slaves tattoo is very unnecessary, this still doesn't define that a slave that wants to run away will always run away, tattoo does not determine permanent ownership. When i look at my grandma with her tattoo i get really sincerely bothered that i wonder how much pain and struggle she must have went through, it ain't easy for people back then unlike this present day that people are free to move and act according to the law, then it was slave and masters.
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It is inhumane how they branded people in your grandmother's time, with hot iron they brand animals to cattle and it still seems cruel to me.
I am glad your grandmother is still telling her story and not hiding her tattoo although painful it is part of her. Thank you for sharing and participating in the initiative, I remind you to comment and support others in the community is the only way to grow and expand.
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The grandmother's mark is a reminder of what must not be allowed to continue to happen.
Actually marking people as property is too cruel an act, because we are not even our parents'.
A thought-provoking publication.
Wow,that's a writeup up here 👏👏,I guess I can relate a little with that,my grandma do tell me stories of hers too👌👌