Sousa Original / United States Marine Band

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The history, meaning and symbolism of nautical star tattoos is

a hotly debated topic. Today some dissimilar groups have

adopted the Nautical star tattoo as a symbol for their own

movement and they have all ascribed their own meaning and

history to the symbol. Thus has lead to a wide

disagreement as the the meaning of the tattoo.Historically

most everyone agrees that Sailors were the original persons to get

nautical star tattoos. In fact the very word nautical

relates back to sailing. So this connection has been

pretty with resolute determination established. Most persons would agree the

sailors were a finelooking superstitious group throughout history and

sailor lore abounds with superstitious and fantastical stories

of life and death and being lost at sea. Early on

sailors navigated by the stars at night and the north star

became the symbol for finding ones way home. Once you

know where the north star is you may point your ship in the

right direction to get home. So the star became a symbol

for finding ones way home or more symbolically even finding

ones path in life. Therefore a heap of sailors would tattoo

nautical stars on their forearms as a good luck symbol in

hopes of returning home.

However their innovative day meaning is a more debated topic.

Many believe that groups including gay and lesbians, punk

rockers and those in the military have adopted the nautical

star tattoo as a very primary symbol. The diversity of

these three groups has lead numerous to argue the meaning of their

tattoos.

For the military the connection is pretty evidently point

back to the early sailors and the symbolism and meaning is the

same as the early sailors. Many military people get a

nautical star tattoo as a symbol for finding ones path home

safely. Of course this may also include more

symbolically just finding ones way in life.

Here is a quote we found from a fellow member of the armed

services and his interpretation of the tattoo:

“I am in the United States Army, an MP who searched towns

and villages for Al Quida and insurgents. I was in Iraq for 1

year. I have a red and black nautical star on my wrist. The

reason I got it was because when I was out there, I felt it

was a guide to guide me home to my family safely. I got it so

that it would remind me that I am going to make it to see my

son grow up. I am not gay, it doesn’t matter what you believe

it represents, it means something dissimilar for everyone. Out

in the desert, I would look up at the stars and think with regards to

home. So anybody may think what they want to, that is what it

means to me. “

Punk rockers have likewise adopted this as a standard symbol to

have tattooed. The punk motion traces it is history and

use of the nautical star tattoo back to Sailor Jerry.

Sailor Jerry is throughout history one one of the most widely known and esteemed tattoo

artists ever. He was well known for his innovative and

“cool” designs. Punks have taken this symbol and it has

very much the same meaning of finding one way in life.

Being the rugged individualists type Punks are drawing to the

symbolism of true north and finding one own distinctive way in

life. So the Nautical star has become a symbol for this.

You see numerous punk bands that have full sleeve tattoos

typically incorporate nautical star tattoos either on their

elbows or elsewhere.

The lesbian and gay connection is the one that does not

seem so evident at first. Historically back in the

1940′s and 50′s when substitute lifestyles were not the norm

and many times women had to hide their substitute selections they

would sport a concealed nautical star. Often they would get

the star tattoo done on the inside of their wrist where it

could effortlessly be concealed by a watch for the duration of the day but shown off

in the evening when out on the town. Today a heap of lesbians

where the nautical star tattoo to show their connection with

their early pioneering sisters. Here is a little

evidence to aid my points.

“Here’s the passage (with galore pieces dropped) from “Boots

of Leather, Slippers of Gold: The History of a Lesbian

Community” by Elizabeth Lapovsky Kennedy and Madeilne D. Davis

copyright 1993 p. 189.

(talking in regards to the 1940′s and 1950′s):

“…During this same time period, the cultural push to be

identified as lesbians- or at least different- all the time

was so powerful that it generated a new form of identification

among the tough bar lesbians: a star tattoo on the top of the

wrist, which was ordinarily covered by a watch. This was the

first symbol of community identity that did not rely on

butch-fem imagery. We may trace this phenomenon back to an

evening of revelry in the late 1950′s, when a few butches

trooped over to “Dirty Dick’s” tattoo parlor on Chippewa

Street and had the tiny blue five-pointed star put on their

wrists. Later, some of the fems of this group also go the idea

one night and did it…The community views the tattoo as a

definite mark of identification…”the Buffalo police knew

[that] the people that had the stars on their wrist were

lesbians and they had their names and so forth. That it was an

identity thing with the gay community, with the lesbian

community”. The fact that the star tattoo was produced by those

who were with resolute determination into roles, in fact by the group that was

considered the butchy butches and their fems, suggest that the

force to assert lesbian identity was strong sufficient to break

through the existent traditions of boldness based in butch-fem

roles. The stars presage the methods of identity developed by

gay liberation. In fact, the mark has become something of a

tradition in local circles and has seen a revival since the

1970s.”

This meaning of the symbol has of course formulated a lot of

problems and arguments among the other two groups of bearers

of nautical stars. Most puck and military people do not

want to have a nautical star that points back to anything from

the lesbian motion so numerous will say that there is no

connection there and this is false.

Here is a quote from another armed forces fellow member regarding the

symbolism of the nautical star among the gay community:

“This “gay symbol” is a load of hooey that an individual made up

VERY recently. The nautical star tattoo has been around almost

as long as tattooing itself. The late Celts (or early Irish,

depending on your view of World History) were said to have

been the original to have the tattoos, though proof of it

being used on ships in Spain has been found pre-dating the

Irish claim.

As a Marine, it’s a very commonplace symbol among us if

we have been share of a Boat Raid company, red for port, green

for starboard on varying parts of the body. On ship, I saw

about a million dissimilar variations on the Sailors I was was

serving with, plainly harking back to the sailor roots.”

Here is a quote from a punk rocker and his sensations when it comes to

the symbolism of the tattoo:

“what idiots..even the military boys do not know what it

really means….JUST SO YOU ALL KNOW!!!!!it was used by OLD

sailors.. and the symbol represents North on a Map …and it

is the North Star the sailors would use it as a baring to get

home….you may find it on Really actually old maps and old navy

vessels… Punk Rock.. well we use it because we may and

because Sailor Jerry made the coolest tattoos who started

putting them on everyone.. my grandfather even had one therefore

being applied as a established icon”

It just goes to show that when the same powerful symbol is

used over and over again over decades of time it may taken on

very dissimilar significances for dissimilar groups. So all of

those that you see sporting a nautical star tattoo might not

all have the same interpretation of it is symbolism.

So do you have a nautical star tattoo or think with regards to

getting one in the future? Which meaning of the symbol

will you get the nautical star for? As long as you know

what the symbolism behind the star is for and you have gotten

it for the right reason to either support the lesbian motion

or as a symbol to finding your way!

Most helpful customer reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful.
Classic US Service Band Recordings!
By Roger Kennedy
Its nice to see these old RCA recordings brought out on CD. These were originally released on LP back in the early 1960s to help finance the Kennedy Center in DC. They were popular recordings then. Unfortunatley only three out of the original four are offered here. Missing is the US Army Band which also recorded as part of this series. The sound qaulity has been left largely as it was, which wes pretty good for early 1960s. The only problem with the original recordings was that they tended to sound poor on the inner tracks of the LP. Fortunately that problem no longer exists on CD. Due to the format there tends to be some repeat material here. How many times do we have to hear the national anthem played by each band! Still, there are some good selections played when these bands were in their prime and larger than they are today. Its good to see recordings being re-issued on US service bands other than Altissimo! which tends to use just in-the-can material from band libraries. Here we have the original stuff played in a manner which is no longer done today. For those seeking vintage recordings of US service bands you can’t go wrong here.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful.
Disappointed listener
By Tealover
I have been listening to military band music for years, and am rarely disappointed. However, this compendium of music by the U.S. Navy, Army, and Marine bands and associated choral groups is not to my taste. Many of the arrangements are strange, and there is much too much vocal music when what I want to hear is the bands play. I would not have bought this album hhad I known beforehand what I know now.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful.
Bicentennial Military Music
By Barry D. Willard
The music from these three US Military Bands was originally released in 1977 as single Long Playing Records to celebrate the Nation’s Bicentennial Celebration. It is missing the US ARMY BAND (which I regret) but otherwise the music is GREAT and the Bands are FIRST CLASS as you might expect. Except for the different services renderings of THE NATIONAL ANTHEM, no marches are duplicated. If you enjoy good foot tapping Martial Music…this 2-CD set is worth the price.

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