Tribal Tattoos
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Tribal tattoos are permanent skin art practiced within a cultural context, or the modern tattoos that pay homage to the original styles
This lens will show you the history of tribal tattoos and explore the modern stylizations of these designs. Get information on the tribal tattoo styles of Borneon, Polynesian, New Zealand, Hawaiian and other forms of tribal tattooing.
In the historical context, the phrase "tribal tattooing" referred to specific practices of unique cultural groups or smaller demographics within a culture. In modern tattooing, the word "tribal" is used very loosely. Originally it meant designs that were replicas of specific ethnographic designs, but now it's become an umbrella term that replaced the previous phrase "blackwork" which tended to designate bold, graphic, monochromatic designs often of an abstract nature.tribal tattoo table of contents
- Borneon Tattooing
- THE RETURN OF THE TRIBAL
- Tribal-Style Tattoo Poll
- Haida Thunderbird
- Hawaiian Tattooing
- Tribal-Style Tattoo Picture Gallery
- Backpiece in Progress
- Maori Tattooing from New Zealand
- DOOMSDAY
- Tribal Tattoo Videos
- The Samoan Tattoos of the Rock
- Tribal Tattoo T-Shirts
- Polynesian Tattoos
- Tribal Arm Bands
- George Clooney in FROM DUSK TIL DAWN
- Tribal Tattoo Designs and Flash
- Share the Tribal Tattoo Love!
Borneon Tattooing
the style that is the basis for most modern tribal-style tattooing
I read a quote in one of Ed Hardy's tattoo magazines that said there were more punks in LA with Borneon tattoos on them than actual tribesmen in the jungle these days.I wouldn't be surprised. The work of Leo Zulueta, as inspired by a notebook of Borneon work given to him by Ed Hardy, has changed the face of the American tattoo style. It's almost taken it over. Last summer, talking with tattooists in Vegas, each one lamented "the stupid tribal armband" when asked what tattoos they got requests for often.
The tattoo shown here is combination of two traditional Borneon shapes, one is a dog and one is a scorpion. I know my friend just liked how they looked, and liked how the two together were as long as his forearm.This style of tattoo holds up very well over time, as the bold lines and simple coloring are less prone to fading and blurring then subtly shaded work with lots of colors.A modern tattoo that sort of riffs on the Borneon style of art is the facial tattoo of Mike Tyson.
THE RETURN OF THE TRIBAL
Return of the Tribal: A Celebration of Body Adornment
Amazon Price: $10.74 (as of 02/14/2012)
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An excellent survey of body art styles with good notes and citations. There is an especially good variety of scarification styles included.
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Tribal-Style Tattoo Poll
Sound off about your love of ink and what you're wearing!
Haida Thunderbird
tattoo by Hanky Panky, worn by RHCP singer Anthony Kiedis
You'll find lots of pages about the back tattoo worn by Red Hot Chili Pepper singer Anthony Kiedis. Some call it an Incan falcon, some say it's an Aztec design.My best research would lead me to believe it's not any of those, but a Haida Thunderbird. I can say with more certainty that it was tattooed by Henk Schiffmacher, aka Hanky Panky, an Amsterdam tattooist. The Peppers collectively hung out in Schiffmacher's tattoo studios and all got work from him.
Kiedis has a variety of tattoo art that is Native American, in homage to his partial heritage. He's got Indian chief portraits on both upper arms, as well as stylized tribal armbands and dagger-like forearms tattoos.
Hawaiian Tattooing
traditional style tattoos
Tattoo Traditions of Hawaii
Amazon Price: $18.52 (as of 02/14/2012)
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Tattoo Traditions of Hawaii describes the evolution of Hawaiian tattooing as an art and science tracing it from its early roots in ancient Polynesia; presents motif, meaning, placement, tools and techniques along with personal observations and commentary in meticulous and graphic detail; discusses contemporary Hawaiian tattooing within the context of contact with the Western world; and includes drawings of designs and patterns for ideas and consideration.
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Tribal-Style Tattoo Picture Gallery
tribal, blackwork, monochrome, geometric, bold
Backpiece in Progress
This is a picture I took of a man who's in the process of having his whole back tattooed. The work being applied appears to be based on designs found in the Marquesas Islands.The tattooist is working from bottom to top, so that bleeding and weeping that occur from freshly tattooed areas don't obscure where he is working.
Some sections of the design are outlined, meaning just the outline has been tattooed and healed. The two very dark and slightly shiny areas to the right of his spine are sections that have *just* been tattooed. The bits peeking out of the waistband of his leather jeans are tattooed areas that are already healed. A full backpiece takes many sessions spread out over many weeks or months.
Maori Tattooing from New Zealand
Maori Tattooing (Dover Pictorial Archives)
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DOOMSDAY
Doomsday (Unrated Widescreen Edition)
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Tribal Tattoo Videos
The Samoan Tattoos of the Rock
Dwayne Johnson, better known to wrestling and movie audiences as "the Rock," is the not only the third generation in his family to go into professional wrestling, he's the third generation to get tattooed.
Both Johnson's grandfather and father wore traditional Samoan tattoos in their lives. The Rock now has a traditional Samoan half-sleeve, which wraps around his left shoulder and upper arm. The designs not only represent him and his family, but his path in life and his protector gods as well.The Rock also has a tattoo on his right upper arm. It's a bull emblem, which symbolizes his Zodiac birth sign of Taurus.
Tribal Tattoo T-Shirts
Polynesian Tattoos
Tattoos from Paradise: Traditional Polynesian Patterns
Amazon Price: $45.00 (as of 02/14/2012)
List Price: $69.95
Traditional tattooing designs are depicted from the exotic Pacific Polynesian cultures of Easter Island, Hawaii, the Marquesas, New Zealand, Samoa, Tahiti and Tonga. The actual process and ceremonies involved in tattooing are described and illustrated with over 250 drawings and color illustrations of native people. Included are actual 19th century photographs as well as early exploration art, paintings, drawings, engravings, and artifacts all relating to tattooing.
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Tribal Arm Bands
George Clooney in FROM DUSK TIL DAWN
A modern tribal-style sleeve
In the movie FROM DUSK TIL DAWN George Clooney played a professional thief on the lam who winds up confronting a barful of vampires down in Mexico. For most of the movie, you see a bit of a tribal-style tattoo peeking out of the collar of his jacket.Seth Gecko, Clooney's character, stays in that jacket no matter what the carnage until the last five minutes of the movie. At that point, you get to see that the little bit is just the very tip of a single full-sleeve tattoo. It's a modern tribal-style tattoo, a blackwork riff on a flame design. It was designed by tattooist Gil Montie and was painted on Clooney for filming using a makeup that had to be taken off with a kerosene-based makeup remover.
Tribal Tattoo Designs and Flash
Looking for a tribal tattoo design?
- Create your own tribal tattoo designs.
- Create your own tribal tattoos.100's of tribal tattoo designs to use as tattoo design templates.Just tweak the tribal tattoos template or create your own tribals from scratch.it's easy. Free trial!
- Tribal Tattoo Designs
- Artwork drawn by Monique and her team ©Copyright to Monique's Euro Tattoo Studio in New Zealand
- Tribal Tattoo Designs Through the Ages
- Check out this collection of tribal tattoo design pictures for a look at some amazing, early examples of 'real' tribal tattoo work.
- Captain Bret's Tribal Tattoo Photo's
- Scroll down the page to see the tribal tattoo pictures.
- TattooNOW Tattoo Designs - Tribal For Sale :
- These tribal tattoo designs are great for inspiring your artist! Find the one you like, and we will print it up and send it out to you asap!
- Modern Tribal Tattoos and Tattoo Design Guide
- The Tattoo Johnny gallery of free tattoo ideas is the worlds number one source for tattoo designs - Find your tattoo design at TattooJohnny.com
- Cherokee Images -- Tattoos
- Tattooing is an expression of beauty found throughout the world. In the Americas, ancient pottery fragments and fragments of ancient ceremonial objects show that North America's Southeastern tribal people have been using tattoos to decorate their bodies for centuries.
- Tribal Tattoo Designs
- Tribal tattoo flash designs ; individual flash designs
- Tribal Tattoo Pictures Gallery
- Tribal Tattoo photos submitted to RankMyTattoos.com
- Living Arts of India - Tribal Tattoo Designs
- Tattoos of the Baiga Tribe
- Ideas for Tattoos
- Deciding on a tattoo design is an important decision, as the image will most likely be with you for the rest of your life. Choosing something of long-term, personal significance is a great way to be happy with your tattoo for life.
Share the Tribal Tattoo Love!
comments, questions, tributes to tribal tattoos
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jadehorseshoe
Jan 26, 2012 @ 11:47 pm | delete
- Maori folks illustrate themselves the best.
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TattooBaron
Nov 25, 2011 @ 3:39 pm | delete
- Very nice lens
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HappySnappy
Oct 10, 2011 @ 5:26 pm | delete
- Informative Lens I must say :)
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davidstillwagon
Oct 1, 2011 @ 9:59 am | delete
- Interesting lens!
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dthonstad
Jul 24, 2011 @ 7:07 pm | delete
- Cool lens. I enjoyed seeing the different styles of tribal tatoos. I think I might get one in the future.
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