Tattoos I Know: Paul's Taíno Ink

Last summer, my friend Paul had some new work done by <a href="http://grinstylez.com/grin_stylez/fort_apache_pierre_tattoo.html">Pierre</a> at <a href="http://grinstylez.com/grin_stylez/fort_apache_studio_welcome.html">The Fort Apache Tattoo Studio</a> near Penn Station. You can see some of his old work <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2008/02/tattoos-i-know-pauls-first-tattoo.html">here</a> and <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2008/03/tattoos-i-know-paul-part-2-or.html">here</a> and <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2010/02/tattoos-i-know-pauls-love-over-his.html">here</a> and <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2010/02/tattoos-i-know-paul-part-5-or-great.html">here</a> (yes, he's a regular!).<br /><br />Fort Apache is up several flights of stairs, but it is conveniently close to my day job, which makes up for the aerobic ascension to the shop on 31st Street.<br /><br />This is what Paul had tattooed on his right forearm:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-SG6vdZ0nAc1DxNpdaJSudlIYBGo4lrGACeiO6WfX-gCr6wdZM6JPsl02YNF42dKAEldLz66ykNGGq1rSoNTUiSzyirjxCn72eFvrD3A8V7S7hnRh-JUHOfXal7uUkz6Pu-kfFxNMyVU/s1600/Paul+symbols.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-SG6vdZ0nAc1DxNpdaJSudlIYBGo4lrGACeiO6WfX-gCr6wdZM6JPsl02YNF42dKAEldLz66ykNGGq1rSoNTUiSzyirjxCn72eFvrD3A8V7S7hnRh-JUHOfXal7uUkz6Pu-kfFxNMyVU/s640/Paul+symbols.jpg" width="220" /></a></div><br />These four symbols are petroglyphs from the Taíno culture in Puerto Rico. They are one way Paul has chosen to acknowledging his and his ancestors' culture, in ink.<br /><br />From top to bottom, the symbols each have literal meanings, and then personal meanings for Paul. The triangular piece is a <i>zemis</i>, pointing in three directions - to the sky and the Creator, to the underworld and the realm of the dead, and to the world of the living.<br /><br />The second petroglyph is Sol, or the sun and the fourth design is the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coqu%C3%AD"><i>coqui</i></a>, or frog.<br /><br />Thanks once again to Paul for sharing his latest installment of ink here with us on Tattoosday!

Tattoos I Know: Paul's Taíno Ink

Last summer, my friend Paul had some new work done by Pierre at The Fort Apache Tattoo Studio near Penn Station. You can see some of his ...

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