Discuss the art of tattooing, the culture that practiced it, the ...

[beccaep]

Discuss the art of tattooing, the culture that practiced it, the process, and how it was considered a sacred act.
 
  What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

Discuss why we don't have a clearer picture of the ancient arts of North America, citing examples of various artworks produced and their function.
 
  What will be an ideal response?

[asware1]

Answer to Question 1

All Polynesian peoples practiced tattoo, but the South Pacific Marquesans cultivated the art with greater virtuosity. Like all other arts, the Maresan considered the act of tattooing sacred. A specialist, tukuka, who invoked the protective presence of specific deities, performed it ritually. The designs were created using a bone tool that resembled a small comb with sharp fine teeth. The specialist dipped the teeth in the black pigment made of soot or ground charcoal, set them against his client's skin, and then gave the tool a sharp rap with a stick to puncture the skin and insert the pigment. Because tattooing was expensive and painful, only a small area of the body was usually decorated during each session. The wealthiest and most highly regarded chiefs and warriors attained a total body tattooing.

Answer to Question 2

The ancient arts of North America are much less available to us than those of many other parts of the world partly because the early inhabitants made their artifacts from perishable materials such as wood and fiber, and partly due to the absence of large urban centers. Many arts of later North American peoples are arts of daily life and were portable objects such as baskets, clothing, and tools imbued with meanings that went far beyond their practical functions. Baskets were connected to the sacred realm and ritual as an entryway for spirits to enter and leave. Carved pipes were made for smoking tobacco, which became viewed as a form of prayer. Clothing was made of buffalo hides, as were shelters in the form of teepees. Plains men also recorded painted images on these hides, depicting their exploits as warriors.