Our Cultural Adventure

Sak Yant: Traditional Thai Tattooing

Our inspiration…

It’s a topic that interested the three of us as a group.

The Sak Yant designs naturally compelled us to get started as soon as possible.

It helped us to possibly research a tattoo of our own and have a better understanding of the Thai culture.

What is Sak Yant

• Sak Yant is a traditional Thai tattoo art that displays “magical” powers on the body.

• If one believes in Sak Yant to a high extent the tattoos will provide them with powers of protection and safety of the soul

• Sak Yant dates back to ancient times and originated in the Khemer period about 3,000 years ago.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psM357MWXy0

How Sak Yant Works…“Tattoo is an ancient science but no one can state its origins or beginning.”

 • Sak Yant has been used for many years as a protective body art

• Sak Yant is composed of many different numbers and symbols which, when placed together in certain orders, have magic powers

• These symbols come from the Khmer alphabet.

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Why?1. Identifying official position. Young men had Saklaek to show they were registered soldiers

and identifying with their particular departments. Those wearing no tattoo were called White handed men. They had no commander or subordinates.

2. Showing evidence of punishment. The mark on shoulder meant being punished not as badly as if it was on the face. The tattoo spot on face not only proclaimed him a very bad prisoner and also prohibited him from ordination as a monk.

3. Showing beauty, such as flower designs or pictures of animals. Some tribes believe that wearing tattoo with animals transfers the animal’s beauty to them. Ancient Lao people preferred piercing tattoos on legs. This value was essential to them all. As one of their poems says, A woman without any tattoo on top of her thighs did not have any sex appeal and could not attract any man. Another poem says, covering with ten or twenty blankets does not seem as warm as having your tattooed legs across my body.

4. Identifying tribes. Thai Aai Lao tribe traditionally let the group wear body tattoos of dragons or snakes. Some Laotians had them on belly, then the group was called Lao Poong Dum, or a Laotians with black bellies. The others without any tattoo on that spot were called Lao Poong Kaow or a Laotian with white bellies.

5. Being invulnerable. A great work of Thai literature Khunchang Khunphan, tells that Treepetkla, the Burmese commander wore magical tattoos all over his body to protect himself in wars.

We Went to…

Wattalad-Neor Temple Tambot Bankay Amphur Muang, Nonthaburi.

ON….

Saturday August 29, 2009 at 10:00 A.M.

Pranote (Hunters driver) was of great assistance and drove us there and home.

• This is a picture of the Awesome tour-guide-driver-friend-guardian

And Courtney.

Our Experience

• We had proper attire to show respect towards the Monks

• Females (Dominique &Courtney) could not speak or talk to the Monks directly.

• We watched the traditional art of Sak Yant

• Taking pictures in the Temple were said to take away the “Magical” power of the Sak Yant

Arjan Noo’s Life

• At a young age Arjan was wanted by the police and in fear of his life his mother took him to the police to turn himself in.

• As a result of his actions he had to practice Monk hood

• Later he began to design tattoos and eventually left the Monk hood to become a tattoo artist

Continued

• He was trained by Luangta

• Its hard to estimate how many tattoos he has done because he openly does it every day and one of his previous clients were Angelina Jolie.

• The process it took for him to become a Monk was very difficult and harsh on his body.

continued

• During his training he only ate one rice ball a day.

• On his tudong journey’s he visited Buddhist masters and discovered the mysteries of Buddhism.

• He doesn’t charge for his work, but accepts donations from anyone.

Continued

When he began designing tattoos and people heard of his insusceptibility to danger such as getting stabbed or injured

His friends heard of these stories and pleaded him to give them tattoos o fhis as well

Story has it that the night after recievin the tattoos they were in a bar fight and stabed but the knives would not pierce them.

The Beginning

This was our arrival at Arjan Noo’s house of tattooing.

Behind us is a shrine that protects his house.

After the Temple

• This is after Hunter had his shoes stolen at a Temple.

• This is a picture of a Monk holding the Traditional Sak Yant tool for tattooing.