Tribal Tattooing and Tribal Tattooing Designs

Friday 20th of February 2009 01:10:17 PM [Add To This Article]

Tribal tattooing has become extremely popular within the last decade. However, these designs and patterns have their roots in extremely ancient tattooing practices that have influenced the art of tattooing for centuries and lie at the root of today’s tattoo techniques. Tribal tattoos come in many different forms, and tribal tattoo designs have taken on a life of their own as they have gained in popularity as more and more people try to incorporate this beautiful and flattering tattoo design method with their own personal goals and desires for their tattoo designs. For thousands of years, indigenous tribes have been tattooing each other to indicate bravery, belonging, social status and fertility. Tattooing has not only been a rite of passage, but an integral part of growing up for many members of these tribes for thousands of years.

Interestingly, while technology has changed the way that many people get their tattoos, for the source tribes themselves, the act of tattooing is as much about the process as the end artistic result. The Maori people of New Zealand have a unique form of facial tattooing that has become extremely popular in tattoo designs in every country. The Maori themselves, who probably came from the east Polynesian Islands, tattoo their faces, legs and buttocks using a chisel and a sharpened piece of bone. Then ashes or various forms of ink are rubbed into the wounds, sometimes repeatedly over several days in order to make the tattoo designs stand out. This unique tattooing process is particularly painful and requires a great deal of time and fortitude. These designs can be replicated with a more conventional tattoo gun, and have also led to tribal mask tattoo designs for people who wish to enjoy and display Maori face tattoo designs on other parts of their bodies. Eskimos and other Inuit cultures in areas of the globe such as Siberia also continue to practice a unique and ancient method when they tattoo themselves and each other with traditional tribal tattoo designs. These tribes exhibit “sewn tattoos” which are literally sewn into the skin using an inked piece of tendon or string and a fine, sharp needle. As the tendon passes under the top layers of skin, it leaves a colored trail of ink behind it. The tattoos are often placed on the cheekbones of the face, and unlike the Maori tattoos, whose lines flatter and elongate the body, Inuit tribal tattoos are often stark, boxy and appear to be almost separate from the rest of the lines of the body. These tribal tattoo designs are frequently formed from straight lines and dots, and can be extremely painful. They are designed to insure a permanent relationship with various spirits and to promote fertility.

Aztec sun clock tattoos and Aztec tattoo designs have lasted far longer than the civilization that spawned them. Most Aztec tattoos were designed around the sun or around one of their two circular calendars, which often bore a grim-faced sun in the center. These tattoos were often used in rituals and even placed on children to show the children’s devotion to the Aztec gods. Furthermore, these tattoos could show the parents’ or guardians’ devotion as well by indicating that they were dedicating their children to a particular god in order for the god to care for the child or for the god to take the child, ultimately, as a sacrifice in some form or fashion in this world or the next. Today’s sun tattoos and Aztec tribal tattoos and sun clock tattoos are derived from ancient art and artifacts bearing these designs, but they are nearly always created using conventional means such as modern tattoo guns and ink. Because tribal tattoos often fit with the lines of the body and can enhance the appearance of muscles and curves, they have become increasingly popular as tattoos have become more socially acceptable. Today’s tribal tattoos probably have the most in common with the Maori tattoos in looks, but many people like to combine tribal aspects with more traditional art, such as cross tattoos, rose tattoos, dolphin tattoo designs or animal tattoo designs. Tribal butterfly tattoos are also very popular. By incorporating this interesting and flattering artistic style with conventional tattoo designs, people create something that is totally unique to them, while still being part of a major tattoo “fashion” trend. Tribal tattoos today are placed nearly everywhere on the body, with their defining attribute being that they “fit” the lines of the body in the area where they are placed.

Related Tattoo Wiki Articles

Read about a celebrity's tribal tattoo art

Learn more about tribal tattoo designs and symbolism

Learn about a popular way to use tribal art in armband tattoos

Learn more about tribal art in popular tattoos