Best Tattoo Designes - Tribal Tattoos Then and Now

Did you know that tribal tattoo designs are amongst the top three of the most popular and searched tattoo designs in the whole world? Tribal tattoos have been with us through so many decades ago through our ancestors. They can be tattooed in the different areas of your body though it is more common at the back, at your sleeves and at your ankle.

Photo courtesy of flickr
Tribal ankle tattoos, as well as all the tribal tattoo locations, are widely used in tribal communities up to these days. The chief usage of these is for identification. Each tribe has its own tribal design and each tribal design significantly means their way of living, their spiritual beliefs and their guide in the afterlife. One tribe member can easily spot another just with the tribal tattoo. Nowadays, fraternities and gangs duplicate this practice in a way to identify their own.

Another usage of them is to show the social standing of a tribal member. As a rule of thumb, the larger your tribal tattoo, the higher your social rank. You can easily spot the chieftains of the tribal community with just the size and number of their tribal head tats up to their tribal ankle tattoos. This practice is still being followed up to these days since the forefather and other founders of fraternities usually have a bigger tribal design as opposed to the neophytes.

Photo courtesy of flickr
Tribal tattoos are also predominant in tribal marriages. The tattoos have the same concept and importance as the wedding rings. The marriage tribal tattoos are also said to be the guide to both husbands and wives in the afterlife hence we can assume that each couple have a very distinct tribal design. Some of the married couples at the present times still practice this belief thus getting a matching tattoo aside from their wedding rings.
An additional tribal usage is transpires in the rite of passage. Young tribe members will only be considered as an adult if they can endure the pain in tattooing. Young men usually get tribal leg tattoos and if one cannot bear the pain then they are considered outcasts since they can’t be useful in times of hunting and battle. On the other hand, young women normally get a tribal ankle tattoo and if she can’t withstand the pain then it is considered that she can’t birth a child. Nowadays, young people eagerly awaits for their 18th or 21st birthdays to get a tattoo hence reinforcing the point that having a tattoo is a sign of adulthood.
And yet another usage of tribal tattoo is for magic, healing and protection. Our ancestors believe that tribal tattoos bind different kinds of good spirit to their bodies. During the right of passage, the youngsters are given the choice to select their own animals to bind with them through tribal tattoos. It has been said that the strength of the animals as well as their delicateness are merged into the wearer. As for magic, the ink used in tribal tattoos are said to be laced with special concoctions from the elders of the tribe that produces magic in times of need. At the present time, people gets tattoos not just for their personalize unique design but for the magic and charm they bring.