The commercialization of traditional pacific tattoos

The commercialization of traditional pacific tattoos
Student:
Professor:
Course title:
Date:
The commercialization of traditional pacific tattoos
It is apparent that the ritual arts of pacific tattoos have been commercialized by the Western culture. There is a wide range of pacific tattoos ranging from Tahitian to Samoan, Fijian, Marquesan, to Tongan and many other Polynesian Tattoo work. There are varied tattoo styles available. It is noteworthy that even though tattooing has been practiced amongst many peoples and cultures for years, nowhere worldwide has the practice of tattooing been as essential to the cultural legacy of peoples as in the Pacific Islands of Oceania (Allen, 2011). As indicated by legends, the practice of tattooing is essentially a very old custom. Asia is believed to be the origin of these tattooing practices, just as the inhabitants of the Pacific Islands themselves. Tattooing was an imperative element of the culture of the many peoples in the Pacific Islands. The communities utilized tattoos in marking the status of a person, used as a rite of passage for both males and females, for mourning the dead, as well as to project prowess and ferociousness in combat (Thomas & Cole, 2009).
Early explorers from the West were astounded by these exceptional designs, and some of them got tattooed, thereby introducing the design back to European countries. This caused a stir within the European society. The tattooing practice spread amongst soldiers and sailors, and in the end it became a fashion craze for the upper classes in the late 19th century (Allen, 2011). Today, the ritual art of Pacific tattoos has been greatly commercialized by the Western culture. It is of note that Dwayne The Rock Johnson’s sleeve tattoo is one of the most well-known and illustrious pacific tribal tattoos in the world. Commercialization of the pacific tattoos by the Western culture is clear from the fact that people from many parts of the world, including Australia, Europe, United States, South Pacific and Canada go...