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 A Maori man (circa late 19th century - early 20th century) wearing traditional markers of high status - facial tattoos, feather cloaks and hair ornaments photo credit: Mark and Carolyn Blackburn | |
What is body art? Brainstorm the ways people decorate, adorn, and reshape their bodies, both in American culture and in parts of the world familiar to your students. Why do they do it? Why does this topic provoke such strong reactions? How does body art commemorate significant events as well as communicate ordinary events during daily life?
Why is body art a powerful way of communicating who we are? |
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How do you change your appearance when you are with different groups of
people? Friends, family, or others? Ask students to write about their own marks of identity. These may be their hairstyles, nail designs, or clothing. Some may have piercings or tattoos. Why did they choose these adornments? How did their families react? Is there a symbol, a color, or a piece of jewelry that identifies them as part of a group? How do they personalize their look? How do our ideas about beauty vary according to time, place, and individual preference? Generate a list of what students think is beautiful. Assuming their answers differ, discuss to what degree that definition is individual and to what degree it is culturally constructed. How do where we live, what we read, and the moment in time in which we live affect our definition? Give examples. How do we use body art to form judgments about individuals or groups? Brainstorm a list of groups and subgroups that are recognized by some form of body art. Think about how and why street gangs use body art to create their image. How does their appearance affect what we think about them? What has conditioned us to think this way? What do the judgments we make about others tell us about ourselves? How can we learn to be tolerant by studying body art? What do specific images of body art convey? Look at some images of objects and photographs used in the exhibition. How have the bodies been marked? Are the markings temporary or permanent? Are there clues that help you understand the reason for this form of body art? |
 Peruvian doll with head-shaping board photo credit: Denis Finnin |
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©2000 American Museum of Natural History