Russian Prison Tattoos

Unread post by **Christina Marie** » December 10th, 2005, 6:15 am

December 10, 2005
Russian Prison Tattoos

'According to the book of Genesis, God placed a mark on the world's first murderer before sending him into exile. The mark of Cain indelibly branded its bearer as a criminal and social outcast.

It is not known when tattooing first became a common practice in Russian prisons and Stalinist Gulags. Soviet researchers first discovered and studied this underground activity in the 1920s; photographs of prisoners from that period suggest an already elaborate and highly developed subculture. More than simple decoration, the images symbolically proclaim the wearer's background and rank within the complex social system of the jailed.'

http://www.foolishpeople.com/foolishpeo ... ison_.html

ghill79772 · Unread post by **ghill79772** » December 16th, 2005, 3:26 pm

One thing that is messed up is when qa prisoner dies in Russia, they cut off his skin where he has tattoos and preserve it for training purposes.

Unread post by **Cold Bear** » December 16th, 2005, 3:31 pm

http://www.artbook.com/3882439203.html

Check this book out ^^^

A book that uncovers a secret language of the body that existed long before hipsters discovered primitivism. --Flash Art

Edited by Danzig Baldayev.
Once upon a time, before the advent of the indie rocker and the alternative chick, before primitivism became a style trend and tattoo parlors set up shop on the good avenues, tattoos were the secret language of a restricted world, a world of criminals. ~The photographs, drawings and texts published here are part of a collection of 3,600 tattoos accumulated over a lifetime by prison attendant Danzig Baldayev. Tattoos were his entrance into a secret world, a world in which he acted as an ethnographer, recording the rituals of a closed society. The icons and tribal languages he documented are artful, distasteful, sexually explicit and sometimes just simply strange, reflecting as they do the lives and mores of convicts. Skulls, swastikas, harems of naked women, a smiling Al Capone, assorted demons, medieval knights in armor, daggers sheathed in blood, benign images of Christ, mosques and minarets, sweet-faced mothers and their babies, armies of tanks, and a horned Lenin--these are the signs with which this hidden world of people mark and identify themselves.

Unread post by **Christina Marie** » December 16th, 2005, 4:36 pm

ghill79772 wrote:One thing that is messed up is when qa prisoner dies in Russia, they cut off his skin where he has tattoos and preserve it for training purposes.

That is nasty and it is disrespectful to the person as well.

Unread post by **Christina Marie** » December 16th, 2005, 4:40 pm

Thanks Cold Bear. That book looks really interesting. I am going to see if they have it at the main library.

Unread post by **Christina Marie** » December 16th, 2005, 10:33 pm

Unread post by **Christina Marie** » December 16th, 2005, 10:48 pm

An unholy icon
Religious images remain popular among Russia’s criminal fraternity, although they rarely reflect the piety or zeal of the wearer. Some icons are badges of honour, oaths of vengeance or even symbols of devotion to the art of thievery. Others, include the Virgin Mary, are often talismans supposedly protecting the wearer from the police or rivals.

A cry from the gulag
This anti-Soviet tattoo was found on a prisoner arrested for petty hooliganism in Leningrad in 1963. It says:

Unread post by **punamusta** » December 18th, 2005, 2:29 pm

ghill79772 wrote:One thing that is messed up is when qa prisoner dies in Russia, they cut off his skin where he has tattoos and preserve it for training purposes.

Where have you hear that? Sounds like an urban legend to me...

ghill79772 · Unread post by **ghill79772** » December 19th, 2005, 10:08 am

lizard wrote:
ghill79772 wrote:One thing that is messed up is when qa prisoner dies in Russia, they cut off his skin where he has tattoos and preserve it for training purposes.
Where have you hear that? Sounds like an urban legend to me...

I saw it on a documentary. They were interviewing an investigator at one of the prisons there, and he showed them his collection. The skin pieces were on a board. It has to be one of the most disgusting things I have ever seen.

Unread post by **punamusta** » December 19th, 2005, 10:21 am

ghill79772 wrote:
lizard wrote:
ghill79772 wrote:One thing that is messed up is when qa prisoner dies in Russia, they cut off his skin where he has tattoos and preserve it for training purposes.
Where have you hear that? Sounds like an urban legend to me...
I saw it on a documentary. They were interviewing an investigator at one of the prisons there, and he showed them his collection. The skin pieces were on a board. It has to be one of the most disgusting things I have ever seen.

If that's really is the truth, then yes, it's disgusting and wrong. Would imagine that photos of tattoos would be enough.

ghill79772 · Unread post by **ghill79772** » December 19th, 2005, 1:59 pm

lizard wrote:
ghill79772 wrote:
lizard wrote:
ghill79772 wrote:One thing that is messed up is when qa prisoner dies in Russia, they cut off his skin where he has tattoos and preserve it for training purposes.
Where have you hear that? Sounds like an urban legend to me...
I saw it on a documentary. They were interviewing an investigator at one of the prisons there, and he showed them his collection. The skin pieces were on a board. It has to be one of the most disgusting things I have ever seen.
If that's really is the truth, then yes, it's disgusting and wrong. Would imagine that photos of tattoos would be enough.

It was on the discovery channel or court tv

Unread post by **Christina Marie** » December 19th, 2005, 2:10 pm

How long ago was it on?? I may be able to find it.

ghill79772 · Unread post by **ghill79772** » December 19th, 2005, 3:12 pm

crstnamre wrote:How long ago was it on?? I may be able to find it.

In May or June of this year

Unread post by **Christina Marie** » December 19th, 2005, 3:17 pm

I will see if I can chase it down.

Unread post by **Christina Marie** » December 20th, 2005, 12:58 pm

No luck^.

mr_joker · Unread post by **mr_joker** » July 8th, 2006, 10:28 pm

DOnt know about you guys,but Russian (Prison/Gang) Tattoos are intrestng and very ungique. Everything is a code.

2hwood · Unread post by **2hwood** » August 13th, 2006, 3:46 am

stars on your shoulders mean you made man (respected averywhere) stars on your legs mean you dont care about the law...(you are the law..) crosses and pictures of churches means you killed peolpe..

snowmanbws · Unread post by **snowmanbws** » August 16th, 2006, 5:35 pm

nah it was on national geographic and they were talkin bout some guy who hima nd his wife are like prison tats in russia experts and they show a piece of some dead dudes skin

harlyn_16 · Unread post by **harlyn_16** » November 27th, 2006, 10:38 pm

2hwood wrote:stars on your shoulders mean you made man (respected averywhere) stars on your legs mean you dont care about the law...(you are the law..) crosses and pictures of churches means you killed peolpe..

stars anywhere mean the number of years in prison and a cross on the chest is the highest ranking of tattoo to get in a russian prison. also the number of towers in the church tattoo signifies the number of years in prison also

BandeR · Unread post by **BandeR** » December 27th, 2006, 6:21 am

Women of colour
Many female criminals also tattooed themselves, partly as a rebellious reaction to the establishment and partly to distinguish themselves as what are known as vory v zakone (thieves in law). These women were photographed at a corrective labour colony at Kungur, near Perm.

very popular woman's "portak" (prisonal tatoo) in Russia, which we can see on the girls back...
The meaning of this "portak" (prisonal tatoo) is - In expectlation of freedom and happy life

BandeR · Unread post by **BandeR** » December 27th, 2006, 6:30 am

"the winds rose" (name of the star)

1. A symbol of negative attitude to law-enforcement officers 2.Only GOD can be my prosecutor.

***

...often this tatoo made on knees, or shoulders...

BandeR · Unread post by **BandeR** » December 27th, 2006, 6:45 am

the hand's map of the tatoos mading.

1. Prisons "trips" (How many times was in prison)
2. Street (Prison) name
3. Birth's year
4. Name

BandeR · Unread post by **BandeR** » December 27th, 2006, 7:03 am

And now, wanna write about different kinds (which I know) of finger-ring tattoos (drawn on the dorsal side of fingers)

Convicted for larceny. Given to fomation of gangs.

Convicted for hooliganism. Unamenable to reforming.

Live in the prison. Underworld give me a name.

Convicted for armed robbery.

A symbol of negative attitude to law-enforcement officers.

[/img]

BandeR · Unread post by **BandeR** » January 6th, 2007, 10:28 pm

Add some foto's of Russian people with "portaks" (Russian prison tatoo):

BandeR · Unread post by **BandeR** » January 8th, 2007, 9:22 am

BandeR · Unread post by **BandeR** » January 8th, 2007, 9:22 am

Unread post by **Qdawg** » January 8th, 2007, 11:21 am

im feeling the ink-work

BandeR · Unread post by **BandeR** » January 8th, 2007, 4:49 pm

Qdawg

im feeling the ink-work

As I know, all Russian prison tattoo's are made with needle & ink...
Years ago, there are no proffessional ink in the prisons of Russia, & prisons tatto masters do them (ink) from the ashes, uriney and the blue ballpens pivots...this prison tattoos has blue color...
Now there are a lot of proffesional ink from China in our prisons & people, who live there, use it...

BandeR · Unread post by **BandeR** » January 8th, 2007, 4:53 pm

... & now Russion prison tattoo's have black color...

also, you can Old School Russian prisson tattoo differ from the new school by the color...

Unread post by **Qdawg** » January 8th, 2007, 9:05 pm

[quote="BandeR"][b]Qdawg[/b]

[quote]im feeling the ink-work[/quote]

As I know, all Russian prison tattoo's are made with needle & ink...
Years ago, there are no proffessional ink in the prisons of Russia, & prisons tatto masters do them (ink) from the ashes, uriney and the blue ballpens pivots...this prison tattoos has blue color...
Now there are a lot of proffesional ink from China in our prisons & people, who live there, use it...[/quote]

creative@"Years ago, there are no proffessional ink in the prisons of Russia, & prisons tatto masters do them (ink) from the ashes, uriney and the blue ballpens pivots"

russian_gangsta · Unread post by **russian_gangsta** » April 11th, 2007, 4:24 am

im russian
but i dont love russian prison.
russian prison - bitchs

BandeR · Unread post by **BandeR** » April 26th, 2007, 6:43 am

russian_gangsta wrote:im russian
but i dont love russian prison.
russian prison - bitchs

You wrong man...!!!

==> po russki:

Nahui obsirat' lyudei svoei strani ?? Rech' idyot ne o teh kto sidit na zone (bol'shuyu chast' kotorih, ya kak i ti schitayu uyobkami...hotya est' normal'nie...) i ne ob ugolovnikah, a o tatuhah, kotorie prisutstvuyut na ih tele...
Schitayu bol'shuy chast' ih nakolok u avtoritetov - ohuennimi rabotami...proizvedeniem isskustv, daje inogda...
...hotya u obichnih otsidevshih "rasskrashenih" pazanov, eto maznya maloletki...

Rabota rabote rozn', tak chto - ne goni !!!