Return of the Tribal: A Celebration of Body Adornment (Paperback)

by Rufus C. Camphausen (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
The Return of the Tribal attempts to look at all types of body adornment from tribal to urban, from piercing to body painting, from scarification to tattoos, and from genital mutilation to structural modifications of the ears, legs & neck. And it does so with a cornucopia of full-color photos presented alongside a very readable text. This may well be the best book of its kind currently available. -- Alternative Publisher Review

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 )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Park Street Press (September 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892816104
• ISBN-13: 978-0892816101
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.9 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.com Sales Rank: #285,526 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 38 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 (pittsburgh, pa) - See all my reviews

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.

7 of 7 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

"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 "milktooth" (Moscow, Russia) - See all my reviews

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.