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Monday, August 2, 2010
Tribal tattoos are today some of the most widespread and loved by women and men all around the world. It is probably not wrong to consider the tribal style the original tattoo style. These tattoos take their name from the function they have had for thousands of years in tribes in different part of the world. Tattoos today are usually considered cool designs to show off, but it has not always been that way.
Tattoos are almost as old as mankind itself. Origins of tribal tattoos go back in history for thousands of years. The oldest tattooed body ever, the famous Otzi mummy, belonged to a man died more than 5000 years ago, who apparently had something like 57 tattoos. This mummy has reached such a symbolic importance among tattoo lovers that a Hollywood star like Brad Pitt has got its outline tattooed on his arm.
Other ancient traces of tribal tattoo designs are to be found on Egyptian mummies. But these tattoos were used by several ancient tribes all over the world as symbol of their membership to the tribe. A membership for life, that had to be honoured and defended. Tattoos have often been connected with concepts like pride, honour, courage, victory and even gods and religions. That's because of the peculiarities of tattoos: their beauty, the noble pain you have to endure to get one (many are those who still today choose to get a tattoo in old traditional ways, ascribing a value to the pain they feel during the tattoo session) and the most characteristic one, their permanence.
Tattoos are permanent: Otzi is the proof that tattoo last longer than life itself. This aspect, so often neglected nowadays, has always been of primary importance in any known historical culture.
Probably the best known tribal tattoos in the world are those of the Maori people, who used to engrave their tattoos with chisels onto their faces. This most painful tattoo tradition was accepted with pride from all those "lucky ones" who proved themselves worthy of such an honour.
Today not much is left of the spiritual side of tribal tattoos. Nonetheless, their incredibly long and rich history emphasizes their charm and attracts more and more young men and women.
An important aspect for modern tattoo lovers is the versatility of this kind of tattoo. Tribal tattoos are not really a tattoo genre, like flower tattoos or dragon tattoos. Tribal is more a style. Any kind of standard tattoo design can be translated in tribal style. Women love butterfly tribal tattoos at least as much as men love animal tribal tattoos, like dragon, scorpion and tiger tattoos.
Celtic tribal tattoos are at least as popular with women as with men. I wouldn't be surprised though, if I've seen more sisters who chose Celtic tribal tattoos than brothers.
Celtic tribal tattoos' patterns and art are cool because of the androgyny of the design concept. Most of the designs work as well for men as for women. Although this is true, perhaps uniquely so in the varieties of styles, I did want to mention a few examples of Celtic tribal tattoos that are uniquely appropriated by women.
Sisterhood Celtic tribal tattoos are a nice example of this. Even if you're a woman who didn't have a sister growing up, or those of us who are lucky enough to find a sister of the spirit, sisterhood Celtic tribal tattoos provide a wonderful way to celebrate and honor your special, lifelong relationship. The symbol for sisterhood is a triangle with a curved line flowing from each point. It's an elegantly simple emblem that represents the three ages of woman; maiden, mother and crone. Nobody calls girls and senior women "maidens and crones" these days, of course. They're archaic words, used respectfully at the time. Anyway, I really like this symbol, because it stands for the sisterhood of all women on earth, as well as the sibling bond. It's a simple and ancient device, and works as well on the back of the neck as in a more prominent place such as an upper arm.
A subdivision of the sisterhood Celtic tribal tattoos is the motherhood ink. This also uses a threefold design, much like the symbol for sisterhood. However, in the mother symbol, the three curved lines continue into a spiral. The triple mother goddess was an ancient British deity known as the Matres Domesticae. She stood for fertility, harvest, good health, and the hunt. She was a figure of bounty and benevolence.
Celtic tribal tattoos for womanhood, sisterhood, and motherhood have in common a symbol known as the triquetra, and as in cultures the world over, it uses the symbolic number three. The triquetra can be combined with designs such as heart, mother and child, or other symbols of your choosing to further personalize your Celtic tribal tattoos in a way that is most meaningful to you.
Other Celtic tribal tattoos that can be especially apt choices for a woman might be the Celts' eternity symbol, which is a type of knot work. Also known as the lover's knot, this design shows two continuous loops that wind around each other in an unbroken and everlasting path. It is a beautiful choice for a wedding tat, suggesting as it does eternal unity and harmony, and everlasting love.
The Vikings are one of the less discussed parts of the Celts' heritage. But there is no reason to forget them! The Vikings had women warriors, highly skilled and valorous. A Viking tat stands for honor, strength, fortitude and nobility, and who doesn't need to be reminded of those things in daily life? The Viking ink also presents other choices than the triquetra, as it can be done as a band around the arm or leg. It also can look good with a bit of color, maybe red, green or blue, in the band.
These are only a very few ideas of the Celtic tribal tattoos that might be appealing to women.
There are many ways for Celtic tribal tattoos to be customized to your individual desires. The location, for example, really makes a great difference in the impact of the tat, whether you choose a lower back design, a collarbone, pectoral or ankle location. Further personalization might include addition of an initial or short quotation, maybe in Latin, Gaelic, or Welsh. You could combine your triquetra with a clannish bear claw, stag, or other Celt animal. The possibilities are pretty endless.
Celtic tribal tattoos are awesome, and you will be looking at a lot of them, but whatever you decide on, make sure you love it, and get samples of your artist's work. You want to be sure she or he works well in the style that you have chosen for your ink. Most importantly, enjoy your design!
Monday, July 19, 2010
What style of tribal you get will also require some thinking. Most people are unaware of the numerous types and styles of tribal tattoos for men. Some of these styles include; Samoan, Hawaiian, Maori, Haida, Japanese, Polynesian and Egyptian. This is why it is important to browse through photos and catalogs of different types of tribal tattoos to be sure you find the one you want. Some of these tribal tattoos for men also have meanings behind them which could also affect your decision. Although, it is unlikely they many people in the world will know the meaning of your tribal simply by looking at it. At any rate, pick out a tribal design that you are confident with because it is with you forever.
The most known tribal tattoos for men would have to be either the arm, shoulder blades, and back tattoos. They can be arranged and placed in numerous options but for the most part these are the best places to put them. Tribal arm tattoos are great and can vary from a single arm band, to a complete arm wrap. Just remember when getting parts of your body tattooed, make sure they are easily covered if you have a professional career or job to maintain. This is why the back and shoulder blade tattoos are probably some of the most popular. These locations are easily hidden with clothes for work purposes, but can be showcased by wearing a wife beater or sleeveless shirt.
No matter which tribal design you decide on, make sure it fits you. Getting a tattoo that showcases your personality or hobbies can make the tattoo pop out even more than you had hoped. If you are unsure which design to get even after browsing through designs, try asking your tattoo artist. After all, they are called artist for a reason.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Regardless of what anybody has to say about what design you should get, you are the one that will be having ink embedded in your skin with a tattoo gun, so it's ultimately up to you. You can still turn to others for suggestions, and there's nothing wrong with getting plenty of ideas, but it will be up to you to refine the list of tattoo design choices before settling on the final one.
Ideas for Men's and Women's Tattoo Designs
It only makes sense that men and women would find different designs more appealing. In general, men will prefer designs that highlight their masculinity, while women will prefer more feminine designs; there are, of course, always exceptions. Think of tattoos as a way of self-expression and these general choices are logical.
A word of caution is in order before we look at some ideas for tattoo designs: No matter how much you are in love, no matter how convince you are that it's a good idea, do your best to resist the temptation to get your partner's name tattooed on your body. Life is funny, and far too many people have found themselves going through a break up only to have the name as a constant reminder of what used to be.
You should be well aware that there are no universal designs for men or women, as each tattoo is based on many different individual factors. While tattoos are a personal decision, one of the factors that goes into choosing one is gender. Even if the final design doesn't seem to coincide with one's gender, it will usually be one of the criteria used in selecting a tattoo (even if it's done at a subconscious level). Even more important is one's taste and style.
Speaking in general terms, women tend to choose smaller, feminine-themed tattoos such as flowers, hearts, butterflies and cats, for example. They may also opt for knotwork, fairies, crosses or other symbols of their beliefs. More common places for female tattoos are the ankle, hip, leg, lower back and shoulder. This is often done to keep them more readily hidden in certain situations.
Men, on the other hand, prefer more masculine tattoo designs. Top choices for men include lions, eagles, tribal designs, Celtic and dragons. They will also have crosses or other symbols of what they believe, but they, along with the others, will be bigger in comparison to female tattoos. Furthermore, men are more likely to prominently display their tattoos on their arms, chests and backs.
Of course, those are only suggestions. The more ideas you have to choose from the better your chances of choosing the design that's just right for you.
