Tribal tattoo: what you need to know about this traditional Maori art<

Tattoos have been trendy for many years now.There are many tattoos of different styles and among them the tribal tattoo of the Maori has always had the coast.Today, we share with you the origins of this type of tattoo and everything you need to know about it.

On the arms, the tribal tattoo can be quite discreet.Credit: tattooeasily

Tribal tattooing has been particularly in vogue since the beginning of the XXth century and many tattooed opens for a drawing image inspired by the design of this art.In history, tribal tattooing has its origin in traditional tattoos practiced by primitive tribes from several islands of the Pacific Ocean but also by the Maori of New Zealand.We also find these styles of tattoos in Borneo, in Polynesia, in Aztecs, India or Hawaii.At the start, this type of Maori and Polynesian tattoo, which has become very popular in the community of tattooed people around the world, had an important social function and was above all a practice carried out on the body during rituals and religious ceremonies.The drawing of this tattoo was often placed on the face.

Today, the traditional design of tribal tattoo of Maori origin is most often requested with the date of birth tattoo for above all aesthetic purpose.The fact that many tattooed chooses it as an idea is explained in particular by its ability to enhance musculature and highlight the natural lines of the body, whether in men or women.The design and symbols of the Maori or Polynesian tribal tattooing is characterized by abstract patterns formed by black lines and more or less thick vectors, which make a tattoo image in a single style.The style, size and shape of the practice of tribal tattooing can easily varied and therefore adapt to a lot of different projects.There are great variations in the thickness of lines and vectors, curvature, density, sharp or rounded points, etc...The Maori or Polynesian tribal tattoo can thus be placed on almost the whole body.

Tribal tattoo symbols

Originally, tribal tattoos were done regularly on the face.Credit: AFP

If the tribal tattoo Maori is so old, it is because in a multitude of cultures, this practice was used to mark rites of passage from age to other, an entry into a group or a change of social status.Often, the particular reason for this tattoo was used as a visual means to differentiate warriors belonging to a group and those who were part of another.These men often chose patterns and animal designs that symbolized strength and protection.In addition, we know little, but in several regions of the globe, the tribal tattoo is the symbol of religious values.In this specific case, the most used drawings for these tattoos of Maori origin were those representing designs with mystical shapes like the sun.Some peoples even thought that this type of tattoo placed on the body had the ability to cure diseases!

Traditional tribal art is a very complex practice which has a vast catalog of patterns and styles.These tattoos depend on the culture from which they come but also and above all on the message that the man who wore him wanted to transmit to the people he was likely to meet and attend.A large part of the images and drawings represented on the bodies in tribal tattoos come from nature in general and the modes of the lifestyle of the tribe.Sometimes it even happened that patterns and design of this famous traditional body told the whole past of a family and these ancestors.Among the Maori, for example, the tribal tattoo was specific to each family for which the Maori or Polynesian tattoo was supposed to represent the history and the qualities of its members.It is recognized as a very strong symbol.

Tribal tattooing highlights the body

Tribal tattooing is a good solution to enhance your musculature.Credit: Jack-Alas

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Very graphic and totally black in general, the traditional tribal or Polynesian tribal tattoo is a practice privileged by men because, placed the shoulder, the pectorals or the back, it makes it possible to identify an impression of strength and dynamism that strengthensthe male visual that we have of the body and its structure.However, tattoo artists find that more and more women opt for the idea of a drawing recalling the tribal tattoo.The latter prefer to work on the idea of a tattoo with a more refined and elegant design and often places the original Maori tattoo on the neck, the arms (high arm, arms at the elbow, forearm, full handle), or on the legs, of the parts of the body which allow to have a piece of this traditional art of a smaller size.Anyway, the success of the Maori original tattooing style does not weaken.

In recent years, tribal tattooing, timeless, very effective in enhancing the body and expressing your personality, has greatly evolved in these patterns and in these designs.From now on, more and more tattooed, for example, have the idea that animal images (a lion, a line, a shark, a wolf, etc.) and plants (a rose, an ibiscus, a tree, etc.)are revisited in tribal tattoo version.This means that patterns identified here and there for these tattoos are, during the design of the visual, reformed or filled with lines and tips typical of the tribal art of the Pacific Islands.And this practice responds to an idea that has a dedicated term: we say then that the drawings of these tattoos are "tribalized".This trend once again proves the extreme popularity of the Maori or Polynesian tribal tattoo which has imposed its style beyond the geographic areas where it is part of the traditional culture.

Black tribal tattoo with wide lines.Credit: Unsplash

As mentioned above, tribal tattoos are formed by imposing black lines and you must have in mind that they can be particularly difficult to erase because it requires a lot of ink.On the other hand, one of the advantages of tribal patterns and tattoos of this style is that they rarely tend to pale and fade over time.For this reason, it is therefore very important to be certain of your choice, your idea and your design before making an appointment with a tattoo artist to take action to carry out a tribal tattoo.If you have the desire and the idea of a tribal design, the period of reflection must be intelligently used to ensure the selected design, the size of the pattern and the place of the body that you would like to decorate with theMaori original tattoo.

The tribal motif can adapt to many shapes, such as the sun here.Credit: tattoosbag

Tribal tattoo on the arm.Credit: Wikipedia Commons

What part of the body for a tribal motive?

To optimize your choice and your idea, do not hesitate to draw a temporary tattoo on your body (via stickers or the henna method), also called "ephemeral".The advantage of temporary tattooing is that it allows you to project yourself with the image of yourself and what the tattoo gives on your body without getting into something irreversible immediately.To make sure that the image and design chosen to represent the idea of your future Maori or even Polynesian tattoo, you can also combine patterns of old tribal tattoos with modern elements to put your creativity into practice.In short, both for a man and for a woman, the idea is to make her creativity speak, his desire for conception and above all to grade in mind as the most important and that the tattoo corresponds to your desires.By bringing your paw to the traditional art of Maori, the idea is to win a touch of freshness and dynamism to the illustration and design of your Maori or Polynesian tattoo and this same tattoo will undoubtedly be better suited tothe time in which we live and in the middle in which you evolve.

Originally, tribal tattoos drawings sometimes took place on the whole body, including on the face.The current trends having been there, today, the contemporary interpretation of tribal designs is often very different from the symbols of yesteryear.Like other tattoos, the tribal can be more soberly on hidden body parts and to obtain a discreet tattoo.If you dream of a Polynesian or Hawaiian fashion tattoo without passing for a maori or Polynesian warrior, it is largely possible to find your foot.For this, whether you are a man or a woman, the neck, the arm (high arm, arm at the elbow, forearm, full handle), legs, wrists, back or feet can be aGood idea and receive your original Maori tattoo.However, we do not recommend the idea of the face because everyone is not Mike Tyson.Simply take the time to think carefully about the area of your body on which you want to see your tattoo in tribal design appear.

With its imposing black lines, the tribal tattoo symbolizes the force.Credit: Kalalad

The traditional tribal tattoo is black

In the vast majority of examples that you will have the opportunity to observe on bodies, traditional tribal art and tattoos that result from it are completely black.From a point of view style and drawing, designs and symbols of tribal tattoos can vary a lot according to their cultural belonging.But if there is a common idea of all tattoos of this type, it is the color.In general, the Maori or Polynesian tribal tattooing is only black.This idea is explained by the fact that this type of tattoo takes up traditions that date from hundreds of years and that in the past, black ink was almost the only one used for the design of these traditional tattoos.Today, you just have to look at tattoos on the bodies of people who have opted for a tribal design to quickly realize that this trend of black people last over time.

Nevertheless, nothing prevents the idea of a Maori or Polynesian tribal tattoo with a drawing or symbols with color, simply, you will necessarily get away from the tradition and the origins of this type of tattoo, very historically marked.At the dawn of 2022 and for several years now, tattoo artists note that more and more tattooed, and in particular women, choose to integrate color during the design of their tattoos.It can therefore be wise, according to your tastes, the idea and the style you want to give to your tattoo, to add color to the designs of your Maori or Polynesian tribal tattoo.Not only will this allow you to move away from the mind and meaning of old Polynesian or Maori patterns, but it will also be the opportunity to have an absolutely unique tattoo.And then even if you are a man, after all, the color does not have a gender and the main one and you are happy with the rendering of your tattoo.There is no limit to creativity!

In men, the tribal motive is often tattooed at the shoulder level.Credit: tattoist360

For a touch of modernity, animal forms are often revisited with a tribal style.Credit: tattooeasily