The most popular tattoo designs are those of tribal tattoos. This is the name given to the style of tattoos that were the norm with the peoples living in Africa and in the islands in the Pacific Ocean. It is really easy to recognize the designs because they are characterized by dark lines that form symmetrical patterns. Most of the time such designs are done in black and skin tone colors, but occasionally there can be bright colors involved to make the tattoos more visible on the skin. There is no particular object associated with a tribal tattoo although today they are often in the designs of animals and birds.

The tribes that wore these types of tattoos in the regions of the world did not do this for style. Instead wearing a tattoo used to be mark of power. Among the Samoan tribes of the South Pacific, becoming a man meant getting virtually the entire skin of the body covered with tattoos. Any man who didn't have tattoos would be treated as an outcast by the tribe.

Having their bodies tattooed was one of the ways in which Indian tribes in North America prepared for battle with their enemies. In Burma, it was important to have a tattoo on the chest over the area of the heart because it was the belief of the people that a tattoo on this part of the body would protect them from being killed by a bullet. Thus, the concept of tribal tattoos is very symbolic and not just a matter of being in fashion by having a tattoo.

The custom of using the patterns of tribal tattoos was not found in the Western World prior to the 1990's. The very first use of this pattern was for the Los Angeles rock band by Leo Zuleta. Pretty soon it evolved into a trend linked to rock music and everybody needed to have a tribal tattoo.

There isn't any special part of your body where tribal tattoos must be located. However, if you're considering getting one of these designs, you ought to give it careful thought. The tattoo of a bat, for example, may have numerous connotations according to where you reside if you want to stay true to the original intention of the pattern. To the American Indian, the bat used to be regarded as being a trickster so to have such a tattoo meant that you were an individual that could not be relied on. In contrast, to the tribes of the South Pacific, the bat used to be adored and the image was granted a place of importance on the body.

Due to the fact tribal tattoos are lasting, they aren't designs you should take lightly when you decide you want to get a tattoo. Make sure that the design you decide on is something you can live with as you will have it for the rest of your life. They are usually really big and cover up a large portion of the section of the body where you choose to have one. You can find literally thousands of designs to choose from and some of these are designed for specific parts of the body.

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