| Tribal-Tattoo.co.uk | | | | knots,interlacing patterns, spirals and animals. |
| What is cooler than an exceptional piece of tribal | | | | Deeply spiritual meanings andsignificance the |
| tattooartwork? Not a lot! No nonsense colours, no | | | | interwoven patterns and organic spirals indicate a |
| meaningless images, just puresymbolic, | | | | neverending flow to the world as they viewed it. |
| sub-conscious tribal statement to the world | | | | Today more commonly used ascultural and |
| Now, you don't have to belong to a traditional | | | | heritage markers (Scottish, Irish and some |
| tribe foryour tribal tattoo to mean something, in | | | | Welsh), Celtic bands. |
| fact we are all tribe members of somesort; just | | | | Feature the most and are very attractive designs |
| think sub culture (hip hop, grunge, rock etc). I | | | | with significance placed onwhere the Celtic tattoo |
| doubt you will finda group of die-hard rock fans, | | | | design is placed |
| each with pretty flowery tattoos or hardened | | | | Maori Tribal Tattoos: |
| USA convictswith pink fairies! Get the drift? So, | | | | "Ta Moko, the process", "Moko,the product". |
| with that in mind let's go through someof the | | | | There is an ancient New Zealand tale of how |
| original tribal tattoo types and a brief history to | | | | tattooscame to be for the Maoris which starts |
| help you form abasis for your next tattoo design. | | | | with a relationship between a man, and an |
| Polynesian Tribal Tattoos | | | | underworld princess Niwareka Mataora foolishly |
| (Tahitians) | | | | beat Niwareka and she fled to her father's |
| These tattoos were pivotal to their culture as | | | | underworld domain (Uetonga, deeplysaddened and |
| they had nowritten language as we would know it. | | | | remorseful for his actions set out to retrieve his |
| Social status, family and position werethe top | | | | lover and thenembarks an epic journey to the |
| massages conveyed by their intricate designs and | | | | underworld Uetonga |
| rituals around them. | | | | Finally reaching dishevelled and with face paint |
| Tools used were a comb with needles generally | | | | smeared and disfigured, hislovers father taught |
| made from bonefixed to a handle. The needles | | | | him the art of tattooing which he brought back to |
| were placed into the ink (made from water, oiland | | | | the landof men - along with Mataora |
| candlenut soot -think charcoal) then against the | | | | Used primarily to mark status and male rights of |
| chosen physical locationand tapped on the back, | | | | passage,similar tools and techniques were used |
| piercing the skin and injecting the ink. The noise | | | | like the Polynesians (Tahitians); in factit is widely |
| madefrom this is where the name "tattoo" is | | | | believed that early Polynesians first brought the |
| born, or " | | | | art to New Zealand |
| Tatau" as the Polynesians (Tahitians) would say, | | | | Other Great Tattoo |
| oreven "Tattow" as Captain James | | | | Civilizations: |
| Cooksubsequently dubbed it! | | | | Egyptian Tattoos - Just as they did their |
| Celtic Tribal | | | | techniques spreadfar and wide across the know |
| Tattoos: | | | | world |
| The Celtic, once a dominant force in what we | | | | Japanese Tattoos - Deeply ritualised and formal, |
| know as Europewere slowly and very violently | | | | certainlyhad more to do with honour than visual |
| pushed north west by the Romans, Angles and | | | | symbolism |
| Saxons. The Celtic culture is rich with history and | | | | Hawaiian tattoos - Culturally and geographically so |
| legend, but again as therewere no classical written | | | | close to |
| language tattoos were required to convey | | | | Tahiti the history is too similar to repeathere but |
| socialmessaging. | | | | just know that the art works differentiated over |
| Celtic Tattoos typically know for their intricate | | | | time. |