文身新说

A Textual Research into Tattoo

文身应是一种开始于野蛮时代早期 ,而结束于文明时代的一种宗教文化现象 ,是原始先民成丁礼仪中的一部分。它虽有中外学术界所说的“避害”、“族徽”、“装饰”等作用 ,但其根本动因却十分简单 :在青年男女即将繁殖后代时 ,以神的名义 ,用文身等残酷的成年礼仪 ,将本部族的那些病弱青年杀掉 ,不准他们繁殖病弱后代 ,从而适度控制种群规模 ,推动种群不断进化 ,确保种群长久生存。在母权制末期和父权制早期 ,因生产力的发展 ,神的地位下降 ,人的地位提高 ,为了更好地用光洁的肌肤吸引异性 ,女子不再文身 ;男子的地位越来越高 ,责任亦越来越大 ,“种”是否优良对部族干系重大 ,因此男子仍必须文身。进入文明时代后 ,青年男女成年时虽然都不再文身了 ,但其头饰服饰均需有明显标志 ,以纪念先祖 ,体现族属 ,反映传统 ,显示成年 ,这是一种“亚文身”现象 ,说明人类生存状况已大为改善 ,人种质量亦大为提高 ,不再需要用野蛮方式来推动人种进化了。人类的文身史 ,记录了人类从野蛮到文明的漫长历史。

Tattoo is a religious and cultural phenomenon, and one of the grown-up rites, which started in Uncivilized Age and ended in the Civilized Age. The origin of tattoo is as follows: When the young males and females in a certain race were to reproduce, the valetudinarians were killed by means of tattoo. Thus the valetudinarians would not reproduce, the size of the race would be under control and evolved as times went on. In the last stage of matriarchy and the early stage of patriarchy, females did not tattoo so as to attract the opposite sex by resorting to the smooth and white skin while females must tattoo because the clan had a great deal to do with the race. After entering the Civilized Age, although young males and females did not tattoo, there were apparent signs in topknot and dress to memorize the ancestors. The history of tattoo is a record of the long process of human development from the uncivilized period to the civilized one.