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Hawaiian Tattoos for Girls

Bhakti Satalkar
Tattoos have existed in the Hawaiian culture even before they were introduced to the Western world. Let's see the most popular designs of Hawaiian tattoos.
Hawaii is a part of the Polynesian islands, all of which have a rich tradition of body art. Most of the modern designs are based on traditional tribal body art of the Polynesian islands.
The word for tattoo in Hawaiian is uhi, which means covering. It is said that the western world was introduced to body art after Captain James Cook made his famous journey to Hawaii. Let us find out more about the history of body art in Hawaii and also some designs that are best suited for girls.

History

In ancient Hawaii, tattoos indicated the importance of a person in the hierarchy of the society. They had meanings, and were displayed on various parts of the body. In case of girls and women, inking was mainly done on their hands, feet, fingers, calves, ears, and lips.
In fact, face art was very common in the Hawaiian islands, which was mostly made on the brow ridge, cheek bones, cheeks, and chin. In ancient times,body art was made with bird beaks, talons, and large fish bones.
Hawaiian designs have deep and personal meanings, as they were often made for individual identification, and not for ceremonial purposes, as was common in other Polynesian islands. It is said that more the wealth possessed by an individual, more were the number of tattoos on his/her body.
It was not just the common man who wore body art, but they were also worn by defeated warriors and convicted criminals. This was a way of branding people. Black ink was used for this purpose, and the tattoos often had bold designs and also were big in size. Of all the designs, flower is the most famous.

Ideas

The early Hawaiian body art patterns consisted of geometric figures. These were usually made around the arms, neck, and ankles. Now let us take a look at the various designs for girls.
Hawaiian flowers are the most famous of all designs belonging to this part of the world. The hibiscus flower is no doubt the most popular floral design. The yellow hibiscus flower is the state flower of Hawaii. This design can be made in colors such as red, pink, yellow, white, as well as purple.
Orchid flower designs are also famous. Of all the orchid flower designs, ghost orchids are the most popular, as they are beautiful but also quite peculiar. Variations to a Hawaiian flower design can be made with vine or other designs.
Marine life has a lot of religious importance in the Hawaiian islands. A lot of people choose to get themselves inked with the image of a shark, and it can denote protection against attacks from these marine animals. Among other marine lives, dolphins are also quite a rage.
Sea turtles are also popular designs, as these symbolize longevity. Seashells denote prosperity in the Hawaiian islands, which can be attributed to the fact that shells were used in the ancient times as currency.
There are a number of people who get tropical birds inked on their bodies, as they are very beautiful. Hawaiians have a lot of respect for lizards (or geckos), and you will come across a lot of lizard imagery in Hawaiian body art.
Tiki is a God whose eyes are always closed as he is known to smell danger before it is seen, and variants of it are used as designs in Hawaiian tattoos.
A lot of tribal body art designs also form a part of Hawaiian body art, and a lot of celebrities sport them too. You can choose to make use of these designs to get tattooed with.