Tour guides are fond of saying that tattoos originated in Polynesia and were brought back by the sailors. It is true that the word is Tahitian, but the practise is universal. It is even prohibited in the Bible (Lev. xix. 28), the true mark of crossover appeal. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, 1911, it "tends to disappear before the spread of civilization." The Encyclopedia goes on to say, "...Maori heads so decorated were at one time in much request for European museums, but they are no longer obtainable in the colony."