Throughout history, tattooing has been practiced all over the world. From Egypt to Tahiti, from the Bering Strait to Japan, tattooing has played a significant role in virtually every culture. Ranging from a rite of passage or a sacrifice to the Gods to symbolizing warrior class or simply the imitating of another's culture, the ancient art of tattooing is now accessible to virtually everyone; it's an affordable and everlasting form of self-expression.
             The word "tattoo" is derived from the Tahitian word "tatu," which means "to mark something." The exact date, place, and reason for tattooing are unknown. It is, however, generally agreed that the ancient Egyptians used tattoos to indicate social rank as early as two thousand B.C. Hundreds of cultures around the world have practiced the art of tattooing. Russian archeologists discovered in nineteen-ninety-four the mummified body of a woman who is believed to have lived two thousand years ago. Her elegant burial dress along with the intricate tattoos in blue on her left arm led to the belief that she was a princess and a priestess in ancient Siberia. In New Zealand, the Maori and Tamoko used tattoos to indicate rank in society. The Maori developed a style of facial tattooing known as Moko for its warrior class. The Ainu of Western Asia also used tattoos to show social status. In Borneo women, tattoo artists were marked with hand and finger tattoos to show their position as weavers in their culture.
             Burmese tattooing has been associated with religion for thousands of years. Tattooing among indigenous North American groups including the Arapaho, Mohave, and Inuit (Eskimo) is rooted in the spiritual realm as well. Tattoos of spirit birds were common in all of these societies. Each of these groups had a myth about a great flood, and it is believed that the chin tattoos they used were meant to represent the flood line of mythology. The Japanese word for tattoo is irezumi, which means "inser...