Return of the Tribal: A Celebration of Body Adornment [Paperback]

Rufus C. Camphausen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1997

A photographic exploration of the modern revival of piercing, tattooing, scarification, and body painting that reveals its origins in tribal culture and practices. 

Since earliest times, tribal cultures around the world have used body marks and modifications to indicate membership and rank within the group, identify with spiritual totems, express sacrifice and loss, and enhance physical attraction and sexual enjoyment. Today we are witnessing a renaissance of interest in body adornment that many interpret as a return to our tribal beginnings--a way to identify who we are in an urban world that has lost its sense of community. Return of the Tribal takes a non-judgmental look at a great variety of practices of body adornment and modification--from prehistoric and aboriginal to those of modern urban tribals in cities such as London, New York, Tokyo, and Amsterdam. From the beautiful to the bizarre, the author shows the many beautiful and bizarre ways people choose to alter their appearance. 

Editorial Reviews

Review

"First tattoos, then piercings and now--metal mohawks? Modern primitives are taking body modification to the extremes with scalp implants."
(Newsweek )

"By juxtaposing photos of 'modern urban tribals' against images of indigenous people, Camphausen effectively places this oh-so '90s practice firmly within a historical and global context. The results are fascinating."
(Publishers Weekly )

"This book brings dignity and respect to the contemporary practice of body adornment in all its forms. By alternating stunning images from tribal and urban cultures, Camphausen makes his point convincingly.
(Magical Blend,? David Merritt? )

"A veritable travelogue through the geography of human imagination. Camphausen proves convincingly that today's body modification trend is more like a revival than a fad."
(Curio )

About the Author

Rufus C. Camphausen is the author of The Yoni, The Encyclopedia of Erotic Wisdom and The Divine Library as well as numerous articles and essays on religious history, mythology, and sacred sexuality. He was first tattooed in 1974, and was first pierced in 1983. He lives in the Netherlands.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Park Street Press (September 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892816104
• ISBN-13: 978-0892816101
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #661,640 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Content not as good as pictures, February 25, 2000

By 

Charissa S. Hamilton - See all my reviews

This review is from: Return of the Tribal: A Celebration of Body Adornment (Paperback)

This book offers little more to the reader than a collection of full color photos of various forms of body art. It is nice to look at, but the content is very biased and non-scholarly. The author oftens voices his opinion about what is 'acceptable' or 'attractive', and questions people who use body modification to "take things too far". There IS a wide variety of body modification discussed and shown in the book, however, the author often repeats things he had previously stated in the book, making for very little content of value. Overall, not one of the better books on the subject. Check out Bodies of Subversion by Margot Mifflin, or The Art of the Tattoo by Ferguson & Procter for better histories of tattooing, as well as any Modern Primatives issues.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not the best, but definitely worth owning!, May 7, 2004

By 

Heather (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Return of the Tribal: A Celebration of Body Adornment (Paperback)

"Return Of The Tribal" is a book that delves into body adornment cross-culturally and throughout history. The book is relatively short, but is packed with great photos and content.

If you don't already own Modern Primitives, you might want to start there first. This book doesn't have as good of written content, though I personally found it to have better and more varied photography.

Overall, the book is a must-have for the library of anyone interested in body modification (either on a tribal level or in Western culture). "Return Of the Tribal" could work as a (small) coffee table book or a reference text. Short, but very sweet.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great photography and very informative, July 23, 2001

By 

Sheena Estel Galpin (Moscow, Russia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Return of the Tribal: A Celebration of Body Adornment (Paperback)

I've got many books on tattooing and body piercing and I consider this one of my favourite. It looks at the possible reasons why people in the west get body decorations and compares them to the ritualistic purposes there are in tribal cultures. I like it a lot because it focuses on the ancient and traditional aspect of body piercing, tattooing and scarification. It contains excepional photographs(all colour) and goes into great depth and detail. It doesn't talk about body art in a superficial stand point but considers it as an art with a very ancient history. I feels its a very worthwhile read which i constantly reread and refer to and it never is boring.