Wrapping in Images: Tattooing in Polynesia

by Alfred Gell

In traditional Polynesian societies, tattooing has played a key role in the social construction of the individual. This is the first study to provide a comparative analysis of tattooing in its original setting--based on a comprehensive survey of both written and oral sources. Drawing on modern
social theory, psychoanalysis, and anthropological studies, Gell demonstrates the role of tattooing in the complex array of controlling sacredness and protecting the self.

358 pages, Hardcover

First published October 28, 1993

Reviews

[Sonanova]

I actually have read most of this and now will return to it to extract thesis material. One of the few *modern* very thorough treatments of Pacific Island tattooing history.

[D]

Zoe Crossland - Columbia Archeology