The tribal tattoo designs that we see today are based on the original tribal designs from the tribes of Borneo, Maori, Celtic Aztec, Polynesia and etc.

The original shapes and motifs of these tribal tattoos are deeply rooted in each tribe’s mythology and view of the world at large, reflecting reflecting the social and religious values of the tribe. many of the themes relate to the origins of the world as they see it, their ancestors, the animals that surround them and their relationships with their gods.

In many tribes, the tattoos are used for identification, with each tribe and each family often having their own tattoo motifs. These tattoos can also show the rank and social standing of an individual within a tribe and are often part of a young male or female’s rites of passage from boy to man and girl to woman.

Some tribes also believe that their tattoos have magical powers, providing protection against enemies, healing powers and also inherited powers, eg. inheriting some of the powers of a tiger from a tiger tattoo.

Modern tribal tattoos generally aren’t associated with any particular tribe and tattoo artists will usually stay away from a tribes traditional motifs, for fear of offending the family or tribe – this is especially true with Ta Moko – TA MOKO is a Taonga (treasure) to Maori and the purpose and applications are sacred..

Tribal tattoos are usually black only or primarily black and as such are quite striking and last well, as black ink is not as prone to fading as other colours – the downside to this is that they are also difficult to remove or hide with another tattoo.

Tribal tattoos can be quite easy to design yourself, or if you aren’t up to that, they are also very easy for a tattoo artist to design from scratch.

Tribal tattoo designs, with their varied symmetrical and asymmetrical black curves and and interlocking patterns have bold visual appeal and are ideally suited to a number of body locations – upper armbands, upper back spans, lower back, calves, forearms – in fact just about anywhere.