Tribal Tattoo Designs

The most popular tattoo designs are those of tribal tattoos. This is the name given to the style of tattoos that were the norm with the peoples living in Africa and in the islands in the Pacific Ocean. It is really easy to recognize the designs because they are characterized by dark lines that form symmetrical patterns. Most of the time such designs are done in black and skin tone colors, but occasionally there can be bright colors involved to make the tattoos more visible on the skin. There is no particular object associated with a tribal tattoo although today they are often in the designs of animals and birds.

The tribes that wore these types of tattoos in the regions of the world did not do this for style. Instead wearing a tattoo used to be mark of power. Among the Samoan tribes of the South Pacific, becoming a man meant getting virtually the entire skin of the body covered with tattoos. Any man who didn't have tattoos would be treated as an outcast by the tribe.

Having their bodies tattooed became one of many ways by which Indian tribes in North America prepared for warfare with their enemies. In Burma, it was important to have a tattoo on the upper body covering the area of one's heart because it used to be the belief of the people that a tattoo on this part of the human body could protect them from being killed by a bullet. Therefore, the concept of tribal tattoos is quite symbolic rather than just a matter of staying in fashion by getting a tattoo.

The custom of using the patterns of tribal tattoos was not found in the Western World prior to the 1990's. The very first use of this pattern was for the Los Angeles rock band by Leo Zuleta. Pretty soon it evolved into a trend linked to rock music and everybody needed to have a tribal tattoo.

There is no particular part of the body where tribal tattoos should be placed. However, if you are considering getting one of these designs, you should give it careful consideration. The tattoo of a bat, for example, can have different connotations depending on where you live if you want to remain true to the original intention of the design. To the American Indian, the bat was seen as a trickster and to have such a tattoo meant that you were a person that couldn't be trusted. On the other hand, to the tribes of the South Pacific, the bat was revered and the symbol was given a place of importance on the body.

Due to the fact tribal tattoos are lasting, they aren't designs you ought to take lightly when you choose you wish to get a tattoo. Ensure that the design you select is something that you can live with because you will have it for the rest of your life. They're usually quite large and cover up a sizable section of the area of the body where you want to get one. You'll find literally thousands of patterns to pick from and some were created for specific areas of the body.