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Tribal Tattoo Designs

Rohini Mohan
There are a lot of tribal tattoo designs available online, but you must make sure you know what the design signifies before you actually decide upon a design. If you're searching for a specific concept, it would be best to consult an expert tattoo artist.
Deciding on which tattoo to get for yourself can be a daunting task. Unless of course you have a clear idea or an image that you can show to your tattoo artist. Most people meet the artist so as to discuss the concept of the design that they are seeking. The tattoo artist then comes out with a few suitable sketches revolving around the client's requirements.
Many, get the designs printed or take handmade sketches of the tattoo they wish to have, so that the artist can fine-tune it, so as to make it look attractive. Most tattoos have a universal appeal that attracts both sexes, some are too girly for men.

Tribal Tattoos From Around The World

Maori Spirals

Ta-moko is the form of tattooing that was practiced by the ancient Maori's of New Zealand. It is from there that we have taken inspiration, for many of the modern tattoo designs. The Koru-spirals that they engraved on their faces using Tiki, have now been adapted as the attractive and often ambiguous spiral art.
Though these spirals hold a deep and significant meaning, which represent, the birth of a new life or a fresh start. The spiral has taken its original inspiration from the plant koru which is a large fern. The plants new sprouted leaves come out in a similar spiraled form.

Aztec Tattoos

You can also go in for the fierce and ever so intricate tattoos from the Aztec civilization of Mexico. They were a warrior clan and were deeply spiritualistic with their unflinching faith in divine forces. The Sun god is always shown to be engraved within the sun stone. It represented the 4 calamities that these people lived through.
They migrated to the lands of what we call today to be Mexico. They built the Aztec temple of the sun where sacrifices were made so as to worship the sun.
Quetzalcoatl or the feathered serpent is another distinct as well as a rare tattoo design. The serpent was a symbol of courage and fertility. It also came within the ambit of Venus and thus represented beauty as well as war.
There are many more gods and spiritual animals that you can seek inspiration from. For instance the two-headed eagle is a classic tattoo design, and so are the 18 Aztec zodiac signs. The most famous of them all is god Huitzilpochti and the winged warriors who had leopards as their pets.

Norse Tribal Art

Tribal tattoos have several monstrous mythical creatures such as Ocula who is a one-eyed monster, known for feeding on human flesh or the Cymru drage Nordic dragon, or Thor's hammer or his meeting with Midgard Serpent.
The Celtic sun tattoo is intricate and difficult to make, but the end results are always magnificent. Among the other popular tattoo designs is the Celtic cross and the Nordic wolf and the raven.

Red Indian Tattoos

The Red Indians do make a good tattoo idea. Though most tattoos showcase portraits of warrior chieftains of the tribe. Some show great eagles in flight as well as eagle feathers. The spirit animals played a very important role in their culture.

Indian Tattoos

Go for Hindu gods, such as Shiva tattoos. There are other gods such as Natraja, Ganesha and Om that have been preferred as tattoo options. You may even try Buddhist script art or tattoos of Lord Buddha while he attained Nirvana.

Chinese & Japanese Tattoos

Go electric, with a wide array of colors that these tattoos need. Go for the age-old dragon or simply choose scripts in various Chinese or Japanese fonts. These scripts make excellent tattoos, as they look beautiful as well as ambiguous.
Thus you need not literally, wear your heart on your sleeves and are allowed to show and still hide your feelings from the world. You could also go in for the upstream fish, the tiger or the ocean waves.
Now, don't be under the misconception that these are the only cultures that have appreciated tribal tattoo designs. Tattoos have been a part of many ancient civilizations, such as the aborigines from Australia, the Mindanao tribes of Philippines.
Laos Thailand had men wearing tattoos all over their thighs which represented their respective tribes, while North Africa's Moroccan tribes, tattooed their women, and Egypt used tattoos in a big way.