I wrote the title of this article and quickly thought I had bitten of far more than I could chew, you see "tribal" as a tattoo genre was originally a diverse collection of many different ancient tribes and cultures across the world.
It included Ancient Egyptian, Celtic, Maori, Samoan, Marquesan, Borneo, Filipino and Norwegian. But now the genre of tribal tattoos has become blurred in the modern age. Now it seems anything with black solid lines can be considered "tribal".
Tribal tattoos are generally abstract lines and shape designs, or they can echo the forms of plants or animals. Traditionally tribal tattoos tend to only use one color - black. The symbolism of tribal tattoos tends to revolve around concepts of power, strength, prowess and loyalty, hallmarks of the ideologies of the ancient cultures from whence they originated.
Each culture had it's own reasons for it's members getting tattooed. They included:
• to be looked after in the after life
• to connect with the Divine.
• as a talisman, a permanent amulet that cannot be lost.• to enhance fertility
• to provide magical or medical protection.
• as a transition from boyhood to manhood
• to show status
• to tell stories of animals and the environment
• to commemorate the first kill
• to scare the enemy
All of these reasons were for a form of communication in one way or another when no written language existed.
It was tribes from Borneo considered getting tattoos as a physical and spiritual marker; they believed that the ink on their bodies would give them special advantage in the afterlife.
Samoan men had tattoos incorporated into the rituals that revolved around the transition from boyhood to manhood.
For the Philippine tribes, a tattoo marked your emergence as a warrior and your first killing of an enemy. The blood spilt as part of the process of being tattooed was considered good for attracting spirits to watch over and protect your village and community.
The Maori were unique amongst tribes for being the only tribe to tattoo and scarify their faces as positive status signals; they also used these tattoos for formidable appearance in battle.
Polynesian was a right of passage as you killed your first animal you would get it tattooed on you as a badge of honor.
In today's day and age tattoos are becoming more popular and more "acceptable" as a form of self expression but most of the traditional values have been lost as each civilization grows out of it's traditional ways and evolves. Today people can simply like the look of a design and forget the history behind it and what it actually meant. This can be seen as a bad or a good thing, but it is about the individuals choice and no one else's. Bear in mind though if you are considering getting a Maori, Samoan or any other cultural tribal tattoo and you are not from that culture you may be abused and accused of stealing from their culture. So before getting any tattoo please consider all the possible consequences.
Tribal tattooing style today has become somewhat of a melting pot of designs integrated with other elements. Whilst traditional tribal tattoos were only black, modern techniques and styles and color have been introduced into the style. Tribal designs can be used as a background for more colorful modern interpretations - it's not unusual to see colored nautical stars or flowers thrown into the curves of a tribal piece these days.
If you are considering a tribal tattoo it may pay to be clear to your tattooist if you want a "traditional tribal tattoo" or a modern tribal style tattoo and make sure you check your tattooist portfolio to make sure he or she is proficient in that style of tattoo. Trixie Bond
