Tribal tattoo designs have so many meanings, it’s hard to know where to begin! Tribal tattoos have been in use for centuries. The same tribal tattoo can mean something completely different from one culture to another. Even the colors in a tribal tattoo symbolize something. There are few tattoos with a more cultural meaning than the tribal tattoo designs.
The meanings of tribal tattoos usually fall into a few very broad subjects. Often tribal tattoos were used to identify tribes and families. The tattoos were modified with each marriage, birth or death in the family. They became a living tapestry of a family’s history, there on the body for anyone to see. These kinds of tattoos also assured that during wartime, if a person was killed far away from home, those who found the body would know immediately where that person was to be returned. The tattoos would be their final word, even in death.
Tribal tattoo designs also reflect rites of passage in various cultures. Having a tattoo painted on the body often signified that the person wearing it had passed some test in order to become an adult. In this case, it wasn’t just the presence of the tattoo that had a deep meaning, but also the pain it took to receive it, as well as the loss of blood that sometimes accompanied the tattooing itself. All of these things were tied into the spiritual side of tribal tattoo designs.
Tribal tattoo designs were sometimes meant to make a person’s position in the culture clear. They might have also been used as signs of virtue. The paintings on a person’s body were meant to tell a story and reveal parts of their character to those who just met them. They could be a badge of honor or a sign of shame, depending on what that person had endured and the life choices they had made.
Today, tribal tattoo designs can be found in any tattoo parlor. Research into the meanings is important, because you will probably get quite a few questions on why you chose a particular tattoo! Everything from the name of a loved one to the markings of a common animal can have some form of tribal tattoo design associated with them. Choose your tribal tattoo design wisely, as it will be with you forever!
