Jagua Tattoo
Encyclopedia
Jagua Tattoo is a temporary form of skin decoration resulting from the application of an extract of the fruit Genipa Americana
, also known as Jagua. This fruit has been used for body ornamentation and medicinal purposes in many areas of South America
for centuries. It has only recently been introduced in North America
and Europe
as an addition to henna body art, also called Mehendi, Mehandi, or Mehndi in India
. (The term henna tattoo is often used as a generic term for temporary tattoos.)
The term jagua tattoo is inaccurate, because tattoo
s are defined as permanent surgical insertion of pigment
s underneath the skin, as opposed to pigments resting on the surface as is the case with mehndi and jagua tattoos.
The terms "henna tattoo" and "jagua tattoo" are likely an outgrowth of the unprecedented popularity of permanent tattoos in mainstream society (36% of Americans aged 18–25 and 40% of those 26-40 have at least one permanent tattoo.)
While henna tattoos are associated with Indian, African and Middle Eastern cultures, jagua is associated with indigenous Indians of the Amazon region.
, native to northern South America
(south to Peru
), the Caribbean
and southern Mexico
, growing in profusion in rainforest
s. It is commonly called Huito; the alternate name Jagua may refer to other species of Genipa as well. To the Inca, it was known as hawa or wituq. In the British islands of the West Indies, it was called the marmalade box.
It is a medium size tree
growing to 15 m tall. The leaves
are opposite, lanceolate to oblong, 20–35 cm long and 10–19 cm broad, glossy dark green, with an entire margin. The flower
s are white, yellow or red, with a five-lobed corolla 5–6 cm diameter. The fruit
is a thick-skinned edible berry
5–8 cm diameter.
or Jagua fruit. Designs created with jagua appear blue/black in color on the skin, and resemble a real tattoo (henna tattoos are reddish brown in color). Depending on a variety of factors, the stain on the skin lasts one to two weeks, fading gradually as the skin exfoliates. Some henna artists use the jagua tattoo preparations as an additional temporary tattoo option, and some professional tattoo artists use it to give their customers the option of 'trying out' a tattoo before using permanent ink.
Several companies selling temporary tattoo kits have introduced products made with jagua as a base.
Genipa
The genip-trees , are a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. This genus is closely allied to Gardenia; several Gardenia species were originally placed in Genipa. It is not to be confused with genip , a completely unrelated eudicot. The name is derived from genipapo, the Guianan name...
, also known as Jagua. This fruit has been used for body ornamentation and medicinal purposes in many areas of South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
for centuries. It has only recently been introduced in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
as an addition to henna body art, also called Mehendi, Mehandi, or Mehndi in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. (The term henna tattoo is often used as a generic term for temporary tattoos.)
The term jagua tattoo is inaccurate, because tattoo
Tattoo
A tattoo is made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment. Tattoos on humans are a type of body modification, and tattoos on other animals are most commonly used for identification purposes...
s are defined as permanent surgical insertion of pigment
Pigment
A pigment is a material that changes the color of reflected or transmitted light as the result of wavelength-selective absorption. This physical process differs from fluorescence, phosphorescence, and other forms of luminescence, in which a material emits light.Many materials selectively absorb...
s underneath the skin, as opposed to pigments resting on the surface as is the case with mehndi and jagua tattoos.
The terms "henna tattoo" and "jagua tattoo" are likely an outgrowth of the unprecedented popularity of permanent tattoos in mainstream society (36% of Americans aged 18–25 and 40% of those 26-40 have at least one permanent tattoo.)
While henna tattoos are associated with Indian, African and Middle Eastern cultures, jagua is associated with indigenous Indians of the Amazon region.
The Fruit
Genipa americana is a species of GenipaGenipa
The genip-trees , are a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. This genus is closely allied to Gardenia; several Gardenia species were originally placed in Genipa. It is not to be confused with genip , a completely unrelated eudicot. The name is derived from genipapo, the Guianan name...
, native to northern South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
(south to Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
), the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
and southern Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, growing in profusion in rainforest
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests , also known as tropical moist forests, are a tropical and subtropical forest biome....
s. It is commonly called Huito; the alternate name Jagua may refer to other species of Genipa as well. To the Inca, it was known as hawa or wituq. In the British islands of the West Indies, it was called the marmalade box.
It is a medium size tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
growing to 15 m tall. The leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
are opposite, lanceolate to oblong, 20–35 cm long and 10–19 cm broad, glossy dark green, with an entire margin. The flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s are white, yellow or red, with a five-lobed corolla 5–6 cm diameter. The fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
is a thick-skinned edible berry
Berry
The botanical definition of a berry is a fleshy fruit produced from a single ovary. Grapes are an example. The berry is the most common type of fleshy fruit in which the entire ovary wall ripens into an edible pericarp. They may have one or more carpels with a thin covering and fleshy interiors....
5–8 cm diameter.
Traditional Uses
Indians in the Amazon traditionally use the juice of the jagua fruit for body ornamentation. Certain tribes, such as the Matses Indians of Peru also insert it underneath the skin to create permanent markings on the body. Additionally, the fruit is used for a host of purported medicinal purposes. Peoples known to use the Jagua fruit (currently or in the past) include: The Zapara, Shuar, Tsachila, Embera-Wounan, Yucuna, Kuna, Yuqui, Tikuna, Yagua, Arakmbut, Ka'apor, Canelos-Quichua, and Skipibo-Conibo.Modern Uses
“Jagua tattoo” is a term used by people in the body art industry to refer to a new form of natural temporary tattoo, which is created using the juice or extract of the Genipa AmericanaGenipa
The genip-trees , are a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. This genus is closely allied to Gardenia; several Gardenia species were originally placed in Genipa. It is not to be confused with genip , a completely unrelated eudicot. The name is derived from genipapo, the Guianan name...
or Jagua fruit. Designs created with jagua appear blue/black in color on the skin, and resemble a real tattoo (henna tattoos are reddish brown in color). Depending on a variety of factors, the stain on the skin lasts one to two weeks, fading gradually as the skin exfoliates. Some henna artists use the jagua tattoo preparations as an additional temporary tattoo option, and some professional tattoo artists use it to give their customers the option of 'trying out' a tattoo before using permanent ink.
Several companies selling temporary tattoo kits have introduced products made with jagua as a base.