The oldest known tattoo is that found on Oetzi, a Bronze Age warrior who lived some fifty-three centuries ago. Oetzis remains were founding 1991 preserved in the ice of the of an Alpone glacier on the border of Austria and Italy. Oetzi actually had fifty-seven separate tattoos, and although no one really knows their significance, it is possible that his intersecting and parallel lines are the earliest yet discovered example of tribal art tattoos. If so, Oetzi would be surprised to learn that he is quite the 21st century trend-setter.
In a world gone tattoo-mad, tribal art tattoos seem to have cause more than their fair share of the frenzy. They are the most requested, and most easily recognized, of all tattoos. With their startling black lines and sharply defined abstract shapes which somehow evoke animal, birds, and reptiles, tribal art tattoos remind us of a long-lost connection to an unspoiled world.
The term tribal art tattoos encompasses the tattoo styles developed by the by the African and Pacific Island tribal cultures, and of those the Maori people of New Zealand created the most distinctive tattoos. Their custom of identifying separate families within their tribes by cutting and coloring that familys history into the faces of its descendants is known as Moko, and has been the inspiration for many a modern facial tribal art tattoo.
Maori tribal tattoo art is recognizable for its two types of patterns. One was a pigmented line, and the other involved inking the background and allowing the untouched skin to form the pattern. Many of the Maori tattoos contain spirals similar to fern fronds.
The Native American also used tribal art tattoos as a means of tribal identification, and their warriors had battle tattoos believed to provide protection; the tribes of Samoa, on the other hand, would cover their young men entirely in tattoos as a rite of passage into adulthood. Tribal art tattoos have been used for a variety of reasons, and very few of them were simply ornamental.
Tribal art tattoos did not make their way to the civilized world until they were brought back by nineteenth century sailors who were willing tolerate the extremely painful inking techniques practiced by the tribal tattoo artists. But the tribal art tattoos which have currently taken the world by storm are not quite the same as the ones which decorated the torsos of many a sun-burned deck hand.
The mainstream tribal art tattoos with which we re all so familiar are really a hybrid form of tattoo, which combines features of the ancient tribal tattoos with design elements first introduced in the 1990s by master tattoo artist Leo Zulueta, himself a Filipino-American. Zulueta has made a point never to copy directly from the original tribal art tattoo designs, because he considers it disrespectful for those not directly related to the tribes to wear their symbols of family and empowerment.
The most sought-after tribal art tattoos today are armbands; chains of knots, barbed-wire, or flames are all popular. Stylized animal heads and sunbursts are great for the shoulder or chest area, and circular navel tribal art tattoos are also quite common. The tribal art tattoo, in fact, works very well in emphasizing bodily contours, and there are many designs ideal for the curvature if the lower back. There is, in fact, a tribal tattoo art design to enhance every part of
Author: Matt Garrett - 2007 http://www.TopTattooDesign.Com
Discover how to avoid being the one in four who Hate thier new Tattoo, including simple Tattoo safety tips, in our your free Tattoo Guide : -
Is a Hawaiian Pisces Tribal Tattoo Right for You?
Hawaiian Pisces tribal tattoos are quite popular these days. For that matter, so are all Hawaiian tribal tattoos. If you are a Pisces and you are looking for a creative way to proudly display that fact, you may want to look into getting a Hawaiian Pisces tribal tattoo.Its have become a booming business recently. In fact, tribal tattoos of any so...
Tribal Cross Tattoos - A Deeper Meaning?
Tribal cross tattoos have gained in popularity over the last couple of decades. Defined as either signaling a sense of belonging or affinity with a particular ethnic, philosophical, or cultural group or tribe, tattoos of this type often include symbols that are of particular meaning for the people who wear them. Here are a couple of compelling reas...
Tribal Tattoo Designs
Tribal tattoos designs are probably one of the most popular forms of tattoos in the world. These are generally known as designs traditionally used in the Pacific Islands and Africa.Cultures who employs this tattoo style did not get them because they looked cool. They got them because they believed there was a certain power attached to the tattoo. S...
Tribal Tattoos
In the past, getting a tattoo was seen as a transition into adulthood - a rite of passage.In some cultures, it was thought that if a girl could not endure the pain of tattooing, then marriage would become difficult because she was viewed as too weak to deal with the pain of giving birth.Boys who could not withstand the pain of a tattoo were deemed ...
Tribal Sun Tattoos - Tips On Getting Your New Tattoo
Have you already begun looking for tribal sun tattoos by using Google Images or some other similar service? In my recommendation this is not the best route to go for your new ink. Think about it for a moment. How many other people have done the same exact thing? Do you want a unique piece that will be a real comment getter?The sun as a tattoo h...
Tattoos and Celebrities
Over the years tattoos have caught rage with Hollywood celebrities to such an extent that more than these stars their tattoos are getting more attention. One of the biggest stars who carry tattoos with lan is Angelina Jolie and has been know to wear a number of tattoos all around her body. She has been known to wear Thai tiger, tribal dragon and a ...
Getting A Tribal Wolf Tattoo
Getting a tribal wolf tattoo is a big step for most people. The wolf as a symbol has become more popular as of late, so it only makes sense that people into getting ink are looking for a great tribal wolf design. Finding this design can be a difficult process, but there are many resources out there that can narrow down your search.The symbolism i...