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Hewitt (1997) correctly points out that humans have performed rituals to create order and predictability in an uncertain world throughout history and the rituals can be a piece of idiographic proof of a value system from a certain culture. In a similar vein, Bellah (1985) claims that rituals structure people’s minds and give them a sense of identity. When discussing the lack of rituals in contemporary society, Henderson (1967) argues that individuals will create a ritual for themselves at certain times in his/her life out of primitive urge. Amery (1992) further explains the importance of ritual:
“the purpose of ritual is to dignify an event and thus transform it into
something more significant, something more meaningful… Through ritual the
tawdry becomes noble, the ordinary becomes extraordinary, and the mundane
becomes supernatural.”
The anthropologist Arnold Van Gennep (1960) theorizes that every ritual ensures a transition from one mode of being to another. Structurally, every ritual is a rite of passage with three stages: an act of separation from previous status or identity; a transitory stage, the “luminal”, which is a preparation for the resolution that takes place in the final stage. Often this ritual process achieves a transition from childhood to adulthood. In many tribal or small-scale societies specific ceremonies exist to accomplish this passage (Hewitt, 1997). It can be concluded that marking the body in a cultural ritual changes the position of the individual within the social structure.
Cutting off, splitting, or mutilating any part of the body (modifies) the
personality of the individual in a way visible to all… The mutilated individual is
removed from the common mass of humanity by a rite of separation (this is the
idea behind cutting, piercing, etc) which automatically incorporates him into a
defined group, since the operation leaves ineradicable traces, the incorporation is
permanent.” (Van Gennep, 1960).
Nowadays there might still be tattooees get inked as a ritual as a token of their self-growth, self-healing and even self-evolution. There is a difference of impact between the publicly visible tattoos and the private ones in terms of a person’s self image which is closely tied to his/her social perception (Hewitt, 1997). However, regardless of the position of the tattoo or the design, the tattoo is a declaration of uniqueness (Hewitt, 1997). As Hewitt (1997) puts it: “As we resist definition, we incessantly recreate ourselves. As we resist communal strictures, we are stuck in a constant state of becoming.”
Reference:
Amery, F. 1992. Self-Sacrifice. In Stableford, B. ed. The Dedalus Book of Femme Fatales. UK: Dedalus, pp.236-250.
Bellah, R. 1985. Habits of the Heart: Individualism and Commitment in American Life. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Henderson, J.L. 1967. Thresholds of Initiation. Middletown: Wesleyan University Press.
Hewitt, K. 1997. Mutilating the Body: Identity in Blood and Ink. Bowling Green: Bowling Green State University Popular Press.
Van Gennep,, A. 1960. The Rites of Passage. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
