Archive for Tribal Tattoos
Overview of Tribal Tattoos
Posted by: | CommentsTribal tattoos have been used for as long as people have needed to identify themselves and they are the “in” thing at the moment. This trend began in the nineties and has only increased as time has passed. The tribal tattoo has had many purposes in human history but they originated mainly to identify a clan or group. Some groups would use the tattoos to identify distant relatives from far away tribes or to find each other after they passed away and were wandering the heavens looking for their tribe members. The tribal tattoo was also used to depict important events that occurred in a tribe or clan, almost like keeping a recorded history of events. (Syrkiewicz, 2008) Naturally a tribal tattoo has a different use today but in the end the modern tribal tattoo is still a form of identification.
Today in many instances the person getting a tribal tattoo wants the tattoo to illustrate something about them, almost like a tattoo of self identification. They are a way for a person to make a statement about themselves for other people to see and interpret. However, the tribal tattoo today is used not to group people into the same tribe but to express personality and individuality. (Hemingson, 1999-2009)
Oftentimes gangs, clubs, and military members will use a tattoo to identify themselves to others. This type of usage for a tattoo is similar to the use of tattoos five thousand years ago when the tribal tattoo art form is believed to have originated. (Syrkiewicz, 2008) Members of different gangs or military groups can identify each other by using a specific tattoo. They often form a bond around a particular symbol almost like a brotherhood. For gang members, the tattoo is used to define their members and lets them know who is friendly or not. All cultures have used tattoos as some form of identification and the trend is back in fashion today.
A tattoo magazine titled Tattoo Times, founded in 1982 by Don Ed Hardy and Leo Zulueta, started a new fascination with the tribal tattoo. (Tebi, 2004-2008) They called their first article “New Tribalism” and it featured tribal designs from the South Pacific, tattoos that had lost favor many years before. (Tebi, 2004-2008) Tattoo artistry itself had been going through problems with negative feelings from society at the time so an article illustrating these wonderful tribal designs helped alleviate some of the negative feelings people had about these tattoos. It actually had the effect of re-popularizing the ancient art form.
The tribal designs seen most commonly today are similar to designs used by the Polynesians for thousands of years. They often have a geometric silhouette pattern that may be considered too easy to do by many tattoo artists. Since these are not considered challenging, some artists do not like to do them. (Tebi, 2004-2008)
Celtic tribal patterns are also popular today. They were distributed by sailors hundreds of years ago as they traveled from Europe. Actually, sailors can be thanked for causing the original popularity of tattoo artistry in the modern western world. The word tattoo comes from the Tahitian word, ‘ta-taw’, which was thought to be the sound a person would hear when the tattooing instruments were used. When the sailors returned to Europe with tattoos that illustrated their adventures, people were fascinated and many wanted to have their own. (Tebi, 2004-2008)
The type and location of a tribal tattoo is a limitless as the unique personality of the person who wants it. Some examples are tribal armband, Celtic tattoo, tribal wolf tattoo, tribal shoulder tattoo, tribal scorpion, butterfly dragon, dog, bird, bull, tiger and many, many more. There are also tribal sleeve tattoos, lower back tribal tattoos, and tribal star tattoos. (Hemingson, 1999-2009) As with all artistic mediums and cultural developments, the art form of tribal tattoos is continually changing. But, the art form is always going to reflect the depth and potential of the person who wants the tattoo as well as the artist’s interpretation of the tribal design.
Works Cited
Hemingson, V. (1999-2009). Tribal tattoo design. Retrieved December 7, 2009, from The Vanishing Tattoo: http://www.vanishingtattoo.com/tribal_tattoos.htm
Syrkiewicz, J. (2008, October 8). History and Social Impact of Tatoos. Retrieved December 7, 2009, from Suite101.com: http://cultural-anthropology.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_history_and_social_impact_of_tattoos
Tebi, D. B. (2004-2008). TatooJoy.com. Retrieved December 7, 2009, from History of Tribal Tattoos: http://tattoojoy.com/tattoo_articles/the_meaning_of_tribal_tattoos.htm
More on Tribal Tattoos
Posted by: | CommentsWith the popularity of body tattoos these days, many people are deciding to use tribal symbols from various regions of the world for their designs. Tribal tattoos come from a number of different tribes. They can be from the Borneo tribe, Haida, Native American tribes, Celtic tribes, Maori tribes and Polynesian tribes just to name a few. The themes of the tribal tattoos can be anything from rituals of the tribe to the way they worship God, etc… Most people who decide to get tribal tattoos will select designs with a specific symbolism. Some may select a design simply for the way it looks. Most tattoos of this type are used within the tribe to identify its’ members. Some will also identify the rank of a person within the tribe. Still others are a symbol of the right of passage; boys into men, girls into women, etc… Currently, simply having a tribal tattoo gives you membership in a group of others with similar interests in expressing themselves with body art. You don’t need to be a part of a specific tribe anymore.
Most tribal tattoos are easy to do, so most tattoo artists can do them or even help you design your own from an older version. The ink used on tribal tattoos is mainly black which holds fairly well and doesn’t fade quite as easily as other colors. The tattoos are also very vivid because of the black ink. They are much easier to see because they are very pronounced with the bold black lines.
Some of the disadvantages of tribal tattoos include the fact that they are extremely difficult to remove. The same advantage that gives them the bold vivid appearance is also a disadvantage if you want to get rid of them. It is also very difficult to tattoo over them for this same reason. You may find that it is difficult to locate a tattoo artist who knows about specific tribes and their designs and customs. Most modern tribal tattoos are of a general nature rather than specifically attached to a specific tribe.
Many tribal symbols are those of strength. The lion is one sign of strength; the bear claw is yet another symbol of strength as is the flame symbol. The dragon symbol has long been a sign of strength. Other symbols that signify strength may be the scorpion, the wolf or the great white whale. There are specific designs for women also. Tribal designs for women might be the dolphin, tree of life or the motherhood design. Within this category of tattoo design, there are many that you can choose from. There is the whole Celtic collection of tribal tattoos that you can choose from also. These include the bear claw, the eagle, the peace sign, the Irish pride cross, the Celtic pentagram, the fireman’s design, and many others. Just take your time in making your design selection; you will likely have it for the rest of your life!
History of Tattoos: Tattoos and the Catholic Church
Posted by: | CommentsThe Catholic missionaries who followed in the wake of the explorers and conquerors considered it their sacred duty to convert the populations of the new territories to Christianity and “civilize” them. Like cannibalism and human sacrifice, tattooing was regarded as barbaric and heathen. Excessive violence and the devastating effects of European diseases resulted in entire tribes and their cultures disappearing. Ironically, survivors of this assault were tattooed and branded with marks of ownership, and transported to Caribbean sugar plantations or South American silver mines. The indigenous peoples of the Amazon put up the most resistance to foreign influences, and their tattooing culture endured the onslaught.
From the eighteenth century, the Catholic Church’s role in the disappearance of old traditions diminished, and in South America it even supported the local population. Bishops governed regions with special rules related to legal and social conditions.
The role of the Catholic Church was more conservative in the South Pacific. Additionally, Western influence increased the inhabitant’s awareness of alternative value systems. Younger islanders began resisting the painful tattooing procedure because it appeared to only be practiced locally, not internationally. On the islands with church mission stations that church was more influential in bringing about the decline in tattoos however most of the decline came from within.
As is typical of many Western and European attempts to “change” those unlike them, the missionaries tried to convince native women not to tattoo their bodies because “European women would never do such a thing.” Fortunately, the women were not to be so easily swayed; they felt that tattoos were necessary, even if limited to the face as a means of countering the signs of aging. In some instances, they informed the missionaries that their practices were the latest fashion, a statement that even Darwin admitted would have never been questioned if said in Paris! In Maori tattoos began symbolizing one’s individualism and independence. In some areas tattooed boys refused to attend school with non-tattooed boys, who were considered cowards.
By the time Darwin began his global travels tattoes were on the decline. As he noted, only older Tahitians had the traditional sock tattoo that was widespread at the time of the first contacts with the Europeans a century earlier. The most striking example of this was in 1812, when the explorer Von Langsdorff, visiting the Aleutian Islands, became the last Westerner to observe the local tattooing culture in that area.
Interestingly enough, the act of inserting pigment into the skin by pricking it was known as the “Polynesian Technique.” In the 1700’s and 1800’s little was written about the deep significance of tattooes and their meaning, in part due to the communication barriers that existed between Europeans and Pacific Islanders. Additionally, not all tattoo-related information obtained from the islanders was reliable; they tended to exaggerate some of their customs in order to impress or frighten the explorers.
Ironically, despite the efforts (and success) of many of the Catholic Church missionaries, it was the European mariners that helped spread the popularity of tattoos. They often returned home with tattoos and regaled audiences with their tales of bravery and endurance during the tattoo application process!
