The Cross-Shaped Tattoo – Surviving Cultural Symbol Among Vlach Communities in the Republic of North Macedonia
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8236711 |
|---|---|
| Authors | IULIA WISOSENSKI, MIHAELA NUBERT-CHEȚAN |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 2026 |
| Issue | 1-2 |
| Pages | 143-163 |
| Publication date | 2026-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Revista de etnografie și folclor / Journal of Ethnography and Folklore (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0034-8198 |
| Publisher | Editura Academiei Romane (PUBLISHER • RO) |
| DOI | 10.59277/jef.2026.1-2.08 |
| OpenAlex | W7140231137 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 6 |
Since ancient times, through tattoos, people have used their bodies to transform them into a source of effective magical force to master, control, and annihilate what was unknown to them. Tattooing gave a supernatural quality to the individual and the human body became stronger, in a ritualistic way, through painful techniques and procedures of pricking, piercing, stabbing, etc. The tattooing of the Aromanians is part of the Balkan tradition of Christian communities under Muslim rule, who tattooed their girls at a young age – according to formalized oral texts – in order not to be stolen and taken to the harems of the Turks. The result of direct field research in the Vlach community in the Republic of Macedonia (summer of 2006), the present study proposes, by the use of rigorous scientific methodologies and tools, a valorization of the ethnological field document on traditional tattoo, valuable in terms of identity and culture for certain groups of Aromanians/Vlachs. Keywords: tattoo, body markings, field research, Christian communities, testimony, ritual practices
Field (mathematics · Field research · Identity (music · Quality (philosophy · Symbol (formal · The Republic · Diverse Musicological Studies · History and Cultural Heritage · Tattoo and Body Piercing Complications
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |