The Development, Transformation, and Evolving Interpretation of Mehndi Tattoos on Modern Life in North America
By swaynata691
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3000 BCE
Original Uses
Mehndi has been practiced for over 5000 years in Pakistan, Africa, India, and the Middle East. It was originally used as a coolant on the body, the dark natural properties made it optimal for covering palms and feet creating a cooling feeling through the body for as long as the stain remains on their skin. As it faded it left patterns on the skin, which lead to creating designs for decorative purposes. It was more commonly used by poor people, as a substitute for jewellery(Michelle Persad,2015). -
3000 BCE
The Plant
Lawsonia inermis (also known as hina, henna tree, mignonette tree, Egyptian privet) is a flowering plant that grows 12-15 feet. It can be found in other hot climates like Pakistan, India and Australia. The plant grows best in heat up to 120F degrees and contains more dye at these temperatures. It also grows better in dry soil than damp soil. The leaves are in opposite decussate pairs and vary in sizes from approximately 2-4 cm. long (About Henna,2011). -
1000 BCE
Traditional Wedding 'Mehndi Night'
Mehndi Night is where the bride, her family, relatives and friends get together to celebrate the future wedding. The night is filled with games, music and dance performances that may have been rehearsed for months prior to the event by the family and friends of the bride. The bride gets extensive Mehndi patterns done on her hands and feet that go to her elbows and sometimes, knees. The bridal patterns can take hours and are often done by multiple Mehndi artists (About Henna,2011). -
Period: 1000 BCE to
The Core Significance of Mehndi in Indian Marriages
Besides lending color to the hands, mehndi is a very powerful medicinal herb. Weddings are stressful, as the wedding day approaches, the excitement mixed with nervous anticipation can take its toll on the bride and groom. Application of mehndi can prevent too much stress because it cools the body and keeps the nerves from becoming tense. This is the reason why mehndi is applied on the hands and feet, which house nerve endings in the body (Deshvidesh,2012) -
30 BCE
Cleopatra's Use of Mehndi
The exact origin of Mehndi tattooing isn't clear, however the tradition dates back as far as Ancient Egypt. It was said that Cleopatra used Mehndi to decorate her body and Egyptians used the dye to paint the nails of mummies before they were buried (Michelle Persad,2015). -
Period: to
Geographical Interpretations of Mehndi Meaning
Mehndi is traditionally used for celebrations and rites of passage. Every culture and region of the world uses Mehndi in its own unique way. For Hindu weddings, Mehndi is painted on the bride to symbolize joy, beauty, spiritual awakening and offering, while Moroccans often paint doors with Mehndi patterns to bring prosperity and chase away evil. North American interpretations revolve more around design and trend rather than meaning and beliefs (Michelle Persad,2015). -
Period: to
Coming to North America
Mehndi became a very popular form of temporary body decoration in the 90's in the North America and has become a growing trend ever since (About Henna,2011). -
Period: to
Geographical Interpretation of Mehndi Appearance
Indian Mehndi feature fine lines and floral patterns, while Arabic Mehndi designs tend to be larger in scale. African Mehndi patterns are more bold and geometric. (Michelle Persad,2015). In Indian wedding ceremonies it is the designs and patterns that have had the most significant development. While only intricate Indian designs were traditionally applied in the past, today brides experiment with Arabic and Indo-Arabic designs, mixing shimmer with the traditional mehndi paste (Deshvidesh,2012). -
Period: to
Current Uses (Adaptation) of Mehndi
Henna is currently used for many reasons including:
-self-expression
-celebration of special occasions like weddings, holidays & birthdays
-inspiration
-reminders
-beauty
-cosmetic treatments
-medicinal uses
-blessings
-well-being
-ancient traditional recognition
-an alternative to permanent tattoos (About Henna,2011) -
Period: to
Cultural Appropriation of Mehndi
Today, Mehndi is commonly seen as a trend or fashion accessory, with people blatantly disregarding the true meaning in the process. People are intrigued in the patterns of the Mehndi tattoos and the look of having a semi-permanent design to show off, but is this in a way cultural appropriation of something that is supposed to be meaningful and symbolic? If Mehndi is solely acknowledged for its beauty, are people disregarding a culture in itself?(Ettachfini,2017) -
One Women's Interpretation of the Cultural Appropriation of Mehndi
"I spoke with my mother, aunt, and grandmother—all Muslim, Arab immigrants—to see if there's more than meets the eye when it comes to cultural appropriation."..."My Moroccan mom doesn't care about white people in Henna, but I do."(Ettachfini,2017). Leila Ettachfini was raised in North America by her Moroccan Immigrant parents, in 2017 she published a passionate article on the cultural appropriation of Henna and how it is seen as a fashion statement instead of a symbol of her culture. -
Non-Cultural Appropriation of Mehndi
Many aspects of Pakistan, Africa, Indian, and Middle East culture have already been incorporated into other cultures. Many types of food, fashion, dance, music, movies, architecture, and art from Pakistan, Africa, India, and the Middle East are popular all other the world. The fact that their tattoo designs are considered so beautiful that many people want to enjoy them, is complementary. People are becoming exposed to different types of art, music, festivals, and entertainment in a good way. -
Evolving Mehndi into a Common Practice
Today, mehndi kits are widely sold in craft stores, hobby shops and on the Web. Mehndi artists are as common as tattoo artists, and superstars like Madonna, Vanessa Hudgens, and Rihanna have exposed the masses to henna tattoos on album covers and MTV.(Fabius, 1998) -
Urban Development of Traditional Wedding 'Mehndi Night'
Today, brides prefer to have their henna done prior to the Mehndi night celebration so that they can enjoy the festivities and also have a deeper stain by the wedding day. Tradition holds that for as long as the henna stain appears on the bride, she doesn't have to do any housework. Also, the darker the stain the better the marriage and the better the mother-in-law will be (About Henna,2011).
