Tattooing is done today by inserting ink in the pores of the skin so as to make a permanent mark on the skin but this originated in various primitive tribes as an extremely crude and painful procedure.
It is known that several tribes such as Celtic, Irish, Chinese, Indian, African, Native American, Maori, etc. all over the world used tattoos. The design themes that these tribes used have collectively come to be known as tribal tattoo designs. Tribal tattoos are generally done in black color.
The tribes generally used tattoos to honor God or to identify members of their tribe. They might have also been used as symbol of bravery and courage, as during those times it was extremely tormenting to get a tattoo. Tattoos were also used to commemorate certain occasions in the life of tribesmen such birth of new born or entering into adulthood, etc. or to mark certain events in the history of the tribe such as victory in a war or end of famine, etc.
Both men and women in the tribe usually get tattoos but men generally get more tattoos than women. Also it is common in certain tribes for men to get tattoos all over their face but women would usually only get tattoos on checks or other parts of their body.
Even though most tribes used extremely primitive techniques to draw their tattoos, their designs are very exotic and articulate. These tattoo designs are extremely detailed and are very difficult to reproduce. So if you are planning to get a tribal tattoo it is exceptionally important that you visit an artist who specializes in tribal art. Not every tattoo artist will be able to ink a good tribal tattoo for this kind of tattoo requires a lot of precision.
Also before getting a tribal tattoo, it is important that you try to find out what it symbolizes. Tribal tattoos have a lot of in-depth meaning attached to their designs. Though the designs might look simple but they are very mystical in nature and you will be able to really appreciate a tribal tattoo only if you know the hidden meaning behind it.
Tribal tattoos can also be combined with other designs such as animals, floral, weapons, etc. But it is important for tribal art to be unique; it doesn't look good if you have cookie cutter designs. For this reason it is extremely important as to how you get the tribal design. If you just pick up your design by doing a search on the internet, you might end up with a fake tribal tattoo or something that has been used by thousands of people. In some tribe it is actually considered an insult to copy that tattoo.
It is best to get your tribal tattoo designs from a paid tattoo website. These websites hire tattoo artists to create these designs and they are very different than what you find on the free websites. Moreover upon request on some of these websites, you can even request the artist to customize your tattoo to make it unique for you.
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Contrary to popular belief, Tribal Designs for Tattoos have been around for a very long time. A popular choice is the Tribal Design with Meaning, which would have a connection to some aspect of your life. There are also those that choose that design only because it appeals to them.
Tattoos can be placed just about anywhere on the body. Some people like the idea of having their tribal tattoo on the back of their shoulders, while others prefer their tattoos on the leg. The design that resembles a band going all the way around the arm is a very popular. These designs are readily available for this specific purpose but you can also choose to have the tattoo artist create an armband tattoo with the design of your choice. Many people like to combine cross and tribal tattoos to create a band of crosses that encircle the arm or they use one of the native tattoo designs and add a cross as a central design.
Although these tribal designs have a deep history for different cultures, some people use them to represent their heritage or a group that they are affiliated with that represents an important part of their life. Many tribal tattoos with meaning are related to the person's spirituality. This is one reason that it isn't uncommon to see a tribal cross tattoo. Another type of cross and tribal tattoo is the type that symbolizes the Celtic heritage. The variety of elaborate tribal cross designs are very appealing and meaningful.
Maori Moko tattoos are some of the most elaborately detailed tribal design tattoos and are normally worn on the face. They are created with many whirls and the designs have a long history with the Maori tribe of New Zealand. However, a Maoris tattoo may be worn on any part of the body. Many people choose these tribal designs, with meaning ignored, as a factor in their decision.
While it is common for men to choose a cross with tribal design or tribal dragons tattoo, women may choose a butterfly tattoo as well as tribal tattoos for the lower back. Although women still like the elaborate tribal designs for tattoos, they are more likely to choose a basically feminine design like a butterfly or flower and then choose a less visible area for the tribal tattoo. Shoulders and hips are common areas for women to get their tattoos, whereas men might choose to wear the tribal tattoos on the arm or on the leg.
Whether you are thinking about getting a design of tribal tattoos with meaning that is significant to you or you just like some of the native tattoos designs, there are many different ones to choose from. Every tattoo store will have tribal design tattoos of all sizes to fit on different areas of the body.
There are some decisions you want to make before you get the actual tattoo. You need to decide exactly where you want to wear the tattoo and how large a tattoo you want. If you think this through you will be happy with the end result. If you really want to find a tribal tattoo with meaning you should take some time to research as much as possible in order to find the right one for you.
Tribal tattoos go back to ancient times when almost every culture used tattooing - the oldest being that of a Bronze Age warrior who lived more than five thousand years ago. People like the Celts, the Aztecs, the ancient Egyptians and others all used tattoos for different reasons. Sometimes tattoos were purely for personal adornment, to denote rank, or as a way of proclaiming oneself as a member of a certain tribe - sometimes tattoos had religious significance and often temporary tattooing was used during times of war. Many African tribes would use this type of tattooing to make themselves appear more frightening to their enemies.
Tribal art tattooing is becoming something of a modern phenomenon as they are among the most requested designs around. Almost everyone seems to have heard of tribal tattoos and they want the bold, often black outlined designs tattooed on their bodies. Tribal designs often depict animals or birds, whatever seemed important to the ancient mind. Even now, tribal tattoos are not just a matter of adornment; they are most often a personal statement about who a person is and what they are like. African and Pacific Island tribes created the most distinctive tattoo designs - many of them reflecting the world that these people inhabited. Much tribal tattooing was facial and in some parts of the world these facial tattoos are most often used as a reminder of a person's tribal or family history. New Zealand Maoris in particular use this type of facial tattooing and their tattoos are usually quite distinctive.
Native Americans also used tribal tattooing and very often this was a way of distinguishing one tribe from another tribe. The Native Americans used tattoos when they were going to war - not so much to frighten their enemies but to provide them with protection. In the tribal world, things are not always as they seem and tattooing and tattoo designs were not just mere ornaments, they meant something.
They were also a way of defining who was a member of the tribe and who was outside of it. Tribal tattooing was brought to the West by sailors in the nineteenth century who also brought with them the expertise and the special inks and needles of the tribal tattooist.
The tribal art tattoos that we have now are often not the same as the tribal tattoos of the ancient world. Rather they are a mixture of ancient tribal tradition and modern tattoo design. This is largely due to a movement in the nineteen nineties that saw direct representation of ancient tribal tattoos as disrespectful to what the tattoos originally symbolized - so the tribal tattoos that are popular today are a hybrid of ancient tradition and modern day overtones. Now the Celtic knot is popular and so are stylized versions of the heads of animals. You may also see sunburst tattoos and these also are reminiscent of the tribal traditions.