Associated Press
PULLMAN — Scientists from Washington State University have discovered the oldest known tattooing tool in western North America.
The tool was made around 2,000 years ago by the Ancestral Pueblo people in what is now southeastern Utah.
The tool has a handle of skunkbush and a cactus-spine point.
Doctoral candidate Andrew Gillreath-Brown found the pen-sized instrument while taking an inventory of archaeological materials that had been sitting in storage for more than 40 years.
School officials say his discovery pushes back the earliest evidence of tattooing in western North America by more than 1,000 years.
They say it gives scientists a rare glimpse into the lives of a prehistoric people whose customs and culture have largely been forgotten.
Talk to us
- You can tell us about news and ask us about our journalism by emailing newstips@heraldnet.com or by calling 425-339-3428.
- If you have an opinion you wish to share for publication, send a letter to the editor to letters@heraldnet.com or by regular mail to The Daily Herald, Letters, P.O. Box 930, Everett, WA 98206.
- More contact information is here.
