Tattooing as a new culture and business

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Tattooing as a new culture and business
April 17, 2011
By Eli Dooski
The Kurdish Globe

Getting inked, which once was popular among pigeon keepers, felons and ruffians, these days it is an acceptable practice for many young people. With no religious and social exceptions, tattoos grew more popular in the Kurdish community in the past few years.

As the warm weather returns, and people don T-shirts, start going to swimming pools and gyms, it's hard not to notice the almost stunning variety of tattoos adorning many young people ? dragon patterns on shoulders, floral rings around the upper arm and some tattoos in Kurdish, like Akh Daya [Oh... Mom!], Be wafa [Unfaithful].

These are not hoodlums, but the rich and educated or celebrities, who are openly proud of these small works of art on their body and are eager to show them off.

Botan Ahmed, a businessman, got his daughter?s name tattooed on his arm in Chinese. He was exercising at a gym, although his tattoo was not completely healed.

?I have only one daughter, and she got married a German,? Ahmed said. ?I tattooed her name on my body to remember her forever.?

While many people in Erbil are in the tattoo business, there is only one shop, which opened last year. The other tattoo artists receive customers in their homes.

Dan Handoola, a tattoo artist for eight years, opened his shop, Super Style Barber, in Ainkawa, Erbil last year. The business also cuts hair. Handoola has six tribal portraits on his arms and legs.

?I have done many tattoos for Kurdish singers, football players and young Kurdish guys,? Handoola said. ?I've always loved tattoos ? It was my dream to open my own tattoo shop.?

Handoola started his business with homemade equipment and simple ink, tattooing customers in his house. His business has changed dramatically since then. He imported some tattoo machines and other supplies from the United States.

Handoola said tattooing is becoming more mainstream every day. He added that the majority of his customers are Christian, but he also has Muslim customers. ?About 30 percent of my customers are Muslims.?

He has done patterns, such as stars, flowers and angels on lower backs and the back of the shoulder for women. Men tend to prefer tribal-style tattoos, which are artistic drawings with no specific signs or meaning.

Once, tattooing with commonplace items was popular with the Kurdish working class and gypsy women. Compared to modern tattoos, they were very simple.

People mixed ashes and milk together, putting it on the skin and piercing it. There was only one color: pistachio green. The color always bled, making the lines blurred.

Sherzad Mohammed, 35, has got his hands tattooed on the Kurdish font 20 years ago. ?I love you mom, Destiny,? and a date was crudely inked on his hands.

?I was very young and it was fashionable at that time. I have seen many women who got their face, chain and nose tattooed and all were proud of it,? said Mohammed.
Many people who inked their body have come to regret it.

Bilal Ali, 27, has a scorpion tattoo on his right upper arm and a scar on his left arm. He explained that he had a scorpion on his left arm, too, but has removed it himself by burning it off. ?I put a very hot spoon on my tattoo and removed the skin quickly. I am not a teenager any more. I got married and it's a source of shame. I don?t dare remove the second one, otherwise I would remove it, too,? Ali said.

Super Style does a lot of cover-up work, masking poor-quality work. Handoola has nearly 11 costumers every week. For small tattoos he charges at least US$35; those that take more time can cost $350 or more. Foreigners, and particularly Americans, are frequent and well-paying customers at his shop.

However, the spread of tattooing is a challenge for young Kurdish Muslims, as the religion forbids changing the shape of the body, and tattooing is included. Mullah Khalid, a Muslim cleric and university lecturer, strongly condemns Kurdish youth who get tattoos.

?It is haram, either permanent or temporary,? Mullah Khalid stressed. ?I wish those who have a tattoo forgiveness.?