A tattoo is a form of body modification, made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment. The word "tattoo" was brought to Europe by the explorer James cook, when he returned in 1771 from his first voyage to Tahiti and New Zealand. In his narrative of the voyage, he refers to an operation called "tattaw". Before this it had been described as scarring, painting, or staining.
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