HN Tooter

How the Samoan Tattoo Survived Colonialism
https://www.sapiens.org/body/samoan-tattoo/

(submitted by FossilHominid)

How the Samoan Tattoo Survived Colonialism

A combination of factors, from geography to group identity, supported the endurance of this traditional body art—even as similar practices were lost in other cultures.

SAPIENS
Apr 4, 2019 at 9:47pmhntooter
Show threadFiXato (fallback)Apr 4, 2019

@hntooter @kirch interesting article, thanks for sharing! :)
Makes me wonder what the shared linguistic root is for #tattoo / #tatau, as they seem very similar.

Maybe @allthingslinguistic knows?

Show threadkirchApr 8, 2019

@FiXato @hntooter @allthingslinguistic

seems the connection is direct: https://www.etymonline.com/word/tattoo

Tattoo - Etymology, Origin & Meaning

Originating from Dutch "taptoe" (1640s) meaning a signal to shut cask faucets, and Polynesian "tatau" (1769) meaning skin markings, tattoo means a drumbeat or per...

etymonline
Show threadFiXato (fallback)Apr 8, 2019

@kirch thanks! As I'd read the article before sleep, I'd forgotten to actually look it up myself.
(The 'taptoe' was interesting as well; I'm Dutch, and I never realised its connection to closing the taps).

@hntooter @allthingslinguistic