Tattoo - The Beginning of the Body Art

A tattoo is a marking made by inserting ink into the skin to change the pigment for decorative or other reasons. It is said that the word tattoo has two major origins- from the Polynesian word "ta" which means striking something and from the Tahitian word "tatau" meaning to mark something. It began over 5000 years ago and tattoo is as diverse as the people who have them on their skin.

Tattoos on human are a type of decorative body modification while tattoos on animals are most commonly used for identification or branding. For Polynesian, Samoan, Tongan, etc. it is called tatau. In Tahitian, tatu. The word tatau was immediately adapted into English, the pronunciation was changed to conform to English phonology as tattoo. Sailors later introduced both the word and reintroduced the concept of tattooing to Europe. Tattoo fanatics may refer to tattoos as ink, tats, art, pieces or work. The tattooists can also be called as Artists.