Chakotay
- First officer Chakotay (Robert Beltran) on the
sci-fi series STAR TREK: VOYAGER/UPN/1995
sported a triangular shaped tattoo over his left
eye. He wore the tattoo to honor his
father, who wore the same tattoo design to honor
his ancestors, The Rubber Tree People of Central
America. Chakotay was inspired to get his tattoo
when his father was killed by the Cardassians.
The episode entitled "Tattoo" explained the
story behind the tattoo. It began with Chakotay
surveying a rocky moon for a substance called
polytheranide. There, he discovered a rock with
an ancient Indian spiral-like rune carved into
it. Chakotay recognized the marking as a healing
symbol that his ancestors called a 'blessing to
the land'.
The episode also revealed that 45,000 year ago,
an alien race referred to as the Sky People,
visited a nomadic Eskimo tribe on Earth and
influenced their development. The tribe
eventually migrated to the rain forest and
became The Rubber Tree People.
In honor of their outer space benefactors, the
Rubber Tree People adopted the Sky People's
triangular tattoo as a tribal symbol. From time
to time the Sky People revisited Earth to see
how the Indian tribe was progressing.
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