325CHAPTER 13: suPERnATuRAlIsm

to ease the pain. This type of tattooing marks him as a person who may have had wealth or status, since he had access to the art of a healer.

Sacred tattoo designs are also placed on the body for magical protection and power. The Thai, Shan of Burma, and Khmer of Cambodia share the tradition of sak yant, or yantra tattooing. Buddhist monks or yantra specialists apply the designs on young Thai men, who wear them for protection. These tattoos have a long history, beginning in the first century BCE with Khmer warriors, who tattooed their entire bodies so they could be invisible to harm. Today, members of street gangs and soldiers in the military also wear yantra tattoos as talismans to ward off misfortune.

A number of cultures practiced facial tattooing for spiritual reasons that were also linked to social practices. Ainu women of northern Japan and Russia wore lip tattoos that were applied before marriage. They were thought to repel evil spirits that could enter the woman’s body through the mouth. Bearing the lip tattoo also signified that a woman would have a place among her ancestors in the afterlife.

SUMMARY

This chapter examined how belief systems guide people’s behavior in society by providing a symbolic framework for aspects of cultural life. Mirroring the Learning Objectives stated in the chapter opening, the key points are:

• Evidence for early religious practices focuses on burials, especially those with grave goods.

Figure 13.8 SAK YANT TATTOO Sak yant tattoos are talismans worn for protection. Traditionally the tattoo was applied with inked bamboo needles tapped into the skin, but today it is more often applied with long steel needles. A code of conduct accompanies the yantra tattoo by which the wearer should abide, including Do Not Steal, Do Not Lie, and Do Not Speak Poorly of Anyone’s Mother, Including Your Own. Credit: Andres Guerra

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© Andres Guerra