TATTOO - A TRADITION THAT DATES BACK HUNDREDS OF YEARS
-New series TATTOO HUNTER to premiere on Discovery Turbo on Nov 6th-

New Delhi October 16, 2014:Tribes around the world often tattoo or cut themselves to mark important, life-changing events. TATTOO HUNTER follows tattoo anthropologist Lars Krutak as he investigates ancient body modification rituals from around the world. He seeks to understand the meaning behind these sacred traditions that date back thousands of years by immersing himself into the daily life of warriors, cannibals and head-hunters.
Discovery Turbo, the popular English entertainment channel, follows American anthropologist, photographer, and writer Dr. Lars Krutak who is known for his research about tattoo and its cultural background. Dr. Krutak, the producer and host of TATTOO HUNTERtravels the indigenous world to showcase vanishing art forms of body modification.
TATTOO HUNTER WILL AIRON DISCOVERY TURBO EVERY THURSDAY AT 11 PM STARTING NOVEMBER 6.
Krutak goes to the remote hills of northeast India (Arunachal Pradesh) in search of a tattoo once worn by tribal head-hunters. He further takes a trip into a remote village in the Sepik Province of Papua New Guinea in hope of becoming the first ever foreigner to take part in a traditional skin-cutting ceremony which resembles the skin of a Pukpuk (Crocodile). He finds out that by undergoing this painful croc ritual, Kaningara boys harden themselves and get rid of any feminine traits. Krutak goes to Hawaii to learn about the ancient Polynesian culture and endure grueling rites of initiation in his quest for an authentic Hawaiian tattoo. His mission further takes him to Thailand to obtain a mystical tattoo, believed by some to impart magical powers to all who wear it. Krutak treks deep into the jungles of Indonesia in search of the spirit tattoo of the Mentawai tribe. He journeys to the West African nation of Benin to meet the masters of ritual scarification and watch them ply their bloody craft on his own skin. He ventures deep into the jungles of Brazil in search of a cannibal tribe and their sacred tattoos. He also ventures to Ethiopia's Omo Valley to learn about the scarification rituals of the Hamar, a warrior tribe.
Viewers will witness the visually stunning artwork that some of the fascinating people featured in the series have adorned on their bodies. Join LarsKrutak as he uncovers the rich heritage behind this ancient art form and exposes several unique customs, including tattooing styles, practices, design and scarification processes.
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ABOUT DR. LARS KRUTAK
Lars Krutak received his Ph.D. at Arizona State University’s School of Human Evolution & Social Change in 2009. Since 2003, he has been studying the socioeconomic impacts of tourism on indigenous Rarámuri (Tarahumara) arts and crafts vendors living in the Copper Canyon region of Mexico for his dissertation.
Krutak began tattoo research in 1996 as a graduate student at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Trained as an archaeologist and cultural anthropologist, he spent three years exploring the complex symbolism and practice of tattooing throughout the Arctic.
Krutak’s tattoo research culminated in an unpublished Master’s thesis, One Stitch at a Time: Ivalu and Sivuqaq Tattoo, focusing on the traditional tattooing of the St. Lawrence Island Yupiit, as well as several freelance photojournalism jobs for leading tattoo magazines in Germany, England, and the United States for which Krutak continues to write. Today, Krutak also contributes articles to other international tattoo publications, including Total Tattoo (UK), Tattoo Savage (USA), Z Tattoo (Denmark), Tattoo Magazin (Hungary), and Tattoo Planet (Netherlands).
Krutak worked for several years as a Repatriation Research Specialist at the National Museum of the American Indian, and as a Research Collaborator in the Department of Anthropology at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution. Between 1998 and 2003, he also worked in several countries of the former Yugoslavia monitoring democratic reforms and elections for the OSCE.
In 2002, Krutak embarked on a world tour devoted to recording the lives, stories, and experiences of tattooed people around the globe. He has worked as an Anthropological Consultant for three television documentaries for a TV channel, and is the Technical Advisor for one of the world’s largest and most popular tattoo websites, www.vanishingtattoo.com. In 2003, he was a co-recipient of the American Book Award in Literature.
Lars produced a 10-part series “Tattoo Hunter” for Discovery Channel (USA) which has aired across Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. The series focuses on indigenous body modification practices worldwide.
Also look for Lars’ published works on Native North American tattoo in “Drawing With Great Needles: Ancient Tattoo Traditions of North America” (University of Texas Press, November 2013).
In June 2014, Krutak’s new book “Tattoo Traditions of Native North America: Ancient and Contemporary Expressions of Identity” (LM Publishers, 256pp.) was published and focuses on the Indigenous tattoo history of the entire North American continent.
Bio courtesy: http://larskrutak.com/about-lars/
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