harquus

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Posted by Catherine Cartwright-Jones on July 31, 2003 at 04:24:40:

In reply to: Help w/ harquus posted by Ilithiya on July 31, 2003 at 02:24:11:

: I've got Catherine's free designs that are at the sphosting site,
: but I'm trying to find more info and I can't find anything
: anywhere. Does anyone have anything - designs, meanings, etc - that
: they'd be willing to pass on to me?

Harquus is a wonderful tiny sub-field of women's body art, and it's
very difficult to find info on it ... I've found some excellent
resources, and have copies of the, but they're all out of print. So
... I've got to get writing and publishing on it ....

I'll build harquus into the encyclopedia and I'll get a set of
patterns and e-book out as soon as I can scrape up the time! I've got
hundreds of authentic harquus patterns I've gotten from photographs
and paintings, and I've got a full lecture on the origins and meanings
.... I wish I had time to tell you about harquus in 5000 words or less
here but ..... my posts have been waaaaaay too long recently already!
I must be boring people crazy.

To be brief .... the harquus markings we're familiar with seem to
have had origins in the same Usko-Mediterannean belief system as
henna/fertility traditions, and are interlocked with that
sacrifice/fertility seasonal eco-agricultural myth system. I've
found artifacts showing harquus back to 3000 BCE and earlier, in about
the same configurations as they were done in 19th century Amazigh
clans. There are similar ones that turn up in Central Asia around
3000 BCE, that I am not sure are related, but may be, because some
anthropologists think that the Usko-Mediteranean people migrated from
that region in the early neolithic.

These tattoo and other black/red/yellow/white markings are
pre-monotheistic, and were eschewed by Egyptians and Jews. They were
later disdained by Greeks, and that distaste for tattooing was picked
up by the Romans. The facial tattooing that is grouped in with
harquus did not vanish though, and is mentioned in pre-Islamic Arabic
texts and praised. Islam then also eschewed tattooing as being a mark
of this pre-monotheistic fertility religion ... but that still didn't
eliminate it. The patterns were kept up by the women, on the excuse
that it enhanced their fertility, protected them from disease,
identified them with their kinship system, and .... they also claimed
that the "cleansing fire of the examining angels" would burn them off
before they entered paradise. Careful documentation in health clinics
from the late 19th and early 20th century show how widespread tattooed
harquus marking were ... in many groups from North Africa to Jordan
and Iraq to Turkestan, there were villages were 90% of the Muslim
women had some harquus tattoing. In comparison fewer than 20% of the
Christian women tattooed, and fewer than 10% of the Jewish women
tattooed. (Yes, I know someone's going to have a fit here saying "WE
DO NOT do any such thing, it's against our faith" ... but ....
hospital record details show that the women DID have these and I
regard hospital records as pretty damn reliable evidence. God bless
the clinics for keeping the records and making notes of the patterns,
who they were on, what village they were from, how old the person was,
what year they were collected ... wooooohoooooo! I've got the specific
patterns from those records in my files at home. Other women simply
marked themselves with black for special occasions... There were
professionals who did the tattoing (women) and there were poems and
songs about them, and other times it was just an afternoon occupation
among the family women to add on a little more ink.

I think the markings are beautiful, and you can do an excellent job of
mimicing them with Temptu. My favorite prof's Egyptian grandmother
had facial tattoos on her chin which she called "my good luck". When
she was very old the tattoos faded, which all tattoos do as the skin
tissue degrades with age ... she'd have them redone in henna every
month or so to keep her luck up.

Follow Ups

Re: harquus hannah 12:23:19 7/31/2003 (12)
- Re: harquus, verging on o/t Nick 14:48:18 7/31/2003 (5)
  - Re: harquus, verging on o/t hannah 15:08:47 7/31/2003 (4)
    - Reading material o/t Nick 19:31:15 7/31/2003 (1)
      - Re: Reading material o/t ~virginia 22:51:20 7/31/2003 (0)
    - children and their parents, o/t Catherine Cartwright-Jones 18:15:36 7/31/2003 (1)
      - Catherine, you are beautiful and wise. n/t hannah 21:26:28 7/31/2003 (0)
- Re: harquus Catherine Cartwright-Jones 12:39:42 7/31/2003 (5)
  - Re: harquus maxx 17:31:33 7/31/2003 (3)
    - thnx to both of you n/t maxx 12:57:38 8/1/2003 (0)
    - Re: harquus Deborah 10:19:57 8/1/2003 (0)
    - Re: harquus Catherine Cartwright-Jones 17:58:05 7/31/2003 (0)
  - you made me feel so much better!! n/t hannah 15:12:12 7/31/2003 (0)
Re: harquus Ilithiya 04:31:40 7/31/2003 (0)

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: : I've got Catherine's free designs that are at the sphosting site, : : but I'm trying to find more info and I can't find anything : : anywhere. Does anyone have anything - designs, meanings, etc - that : : they'd be willing to pass on to me? : : Harquus is a wonderful tiny sub-field of women's body art, and it's : very difficult to find info on it ... I've found some excellent : resources, and have copies of the, but they're all out of print. So : ... I've got to get writing and publishing on it .... : : I'll build harquus into the encyclopedia and I'll get a set of : patterns and e-book out as soon as I can scrape up the time! I've got : hundreds of authentic harquus patterns I've gotten from photographs : and paintings, and I've got a full lecture on the origins and meanings : .... I wish I had time to tell you about harquus in 5000 words or less : here but ..... my posts have been waaaaaay too long recently already! : I must be boring people crazy. : : To be brief .... the harquus markings we're familiar with seem to : have had origins in the same Usko-Mediterannean belief system as : henna/fertility traditions, and are interlocked with that : sacrifice/fertility seasonal eco-agricultural myth system. I've : found artifacts showing harquus back to 3000 BCE and earlier, in about : the same configurations as they were done in 19th century Amazigh : clans. There are similar ones that turn up in Central Asia around : 3000 BCE, that I am not sure are related, but may be, because some : anthropologists think that the Usko-Mediteranean people migrated from : that region in the early neolithic. : : These tattoo and other black/red/yellow/white markings are : pre-monotheistic, and were eschewed by Egyptians and Jews. They were : later disdained by Greeks, and that distaste for tattooing was picked : up by the Romans. The facial tattooing that is grouped in with : harquus did not vanish though, and is mentioned in pre-Islamic Arabic : texts and praised. Islam then also eschewed tattooing as being a mark : of this pre-monotheistic fertility religion ... but that still didn't : eliminate it. The patterns were kept up by the women, on the excuse : that it enhanced their fertility, protected them from disease, : identified them with their kinship system, and .... they also claimed : that the "cleansing fire of the examining angels" would burn them off : before they entered paradise. Careful documentation in health clinics : from the late 19th and early 20th century show how widespread tattooed : harquus marking were ... in many groups from North Africa to Jordan : and Iraq to Turkestan, there were villages were 90% of the Muslim : women had some harquus tattoing. In comparison fewer than 20% of the : Christian women tattooed, and fewer than 10% of the Jewish women : tattooed. (Yes, I know someone's going to have a fit here saying "WE : DO NOT do any such thing, it's against our faith" ... but .... : hospital record details show that the women DID have these and I : regard hospital records as pretty damn reliable evidence. God bless : the clinics for keeping the records and making notes of the patterns, : who they were on, what village they were from, how old the person was, : what year they were collected ... wooooohoooooo! I've got the specific : patterns from those records in my files at home. Other women simply : marked themselves with black for special occasions... There were : professionals who did the tattoing (women) and there were poems and : songs about them, and other times it was just an afternoon occupation : among the family women to add on a little more ink. : : I think the markings are beautiful, and you can do an excellent job of : mimicing them with Temptu. My favorite prof's Egyptian grandmother : had facial tattoos on her chin which she called "my good luck". When : she was very old the tattoos faded, which all tattoos do as the skin : tissue degrades with age ... she'd have them redone in henna every : month or so to keep her luck up.
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