Other Cool Tribal Tattoos

Note: This is page 2 of of this article, page one is here: Armband Tribal Tattoo Designs

Traditionally the process of getting cool tribal tattoos was by use of a needle and was extremely painful. The needle was attached to a bone chisel or match head. The skin was stretched and the tattoos were placed deep into the skin using a mallet and a bone chisel, because of the extreme pain associated with the process it represented bravery to many Polynesian tribes.

Applying cool tribal tattoos by hand is still widely practiced by the tribes in Samoa, one of the many islands of Polynesia. The traditional ways of applying tattoos have been unbroken for two thousand years. It is considered a craft and the skill set is passed on from generation to generation, from fathers to sons.

Those learning the tattoo arts from an elder often spend hours after hours placing designs into the sand or cloth using a special tattooing device called an au. This special tool is still created today, the way it was created hundreds of years ago, by combining sharpened boars teeth with part of a turtle shell.

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Samoa is just one of the many islands in Polynesia. Polynesia is comprised of over 1000 islands al over the Pacific Ocean. Some of the other Islands and their tattoo styles are listed:

Easter Island (Rapa Nui) – Tattoos from the Easter Islands are considered to be the most sacred of all tribal tattoos. People who wore the bold and vivid designs originating from the Easter Islands where thought to be also sacred and could communicate with the Gods
Hawaii – Cool tribal tattoos from Hawaii stand out from the other Polynesian islands because they usually have a more personal meaning. Popular tattoos among the Hawaiian's include turtles and Hawaiian flowers
Tonga – Tattoos from Tonga are very similar to ones from Samoa. They are usually very large and stretch across a lot of area on the skin. They show the rank and social status of the person wearing them
The Cook Islands – Tribal tattoos from the Cook Islands were also very large and spread across the entire body. The different tribes on the Cook Islands had their very own distinct tattoo
Tahiti – In Tahiti, otherwise known as French Polynesia, only the people with high social status wore tattoos. Tahitian tribal tattoos covered the entire body except for the face. Tattoos where not only for men, but woman also. When a girl is young, they are tattooed. Then they are tattooed once again once they reach sexual maturity. When a woman was attracted to a man they would lift their skirts and reveal the tattoo to that man
The Marquessa Islands – The tribes that inhabited the Marquessa Islands where the most heavily tattooed of all the Polynesian tribes. Tattoo art is has a long tradition and is deeply rooted in their culture

Though the Polynesian tribes each have distinct characteristics, they also have a lot of cultural similarities. Their cool tribal tattoos all have some characteristics that were similar and tattoo art was a big part of each tribe’s culture. Even if you don’t know much about the ancient tribes of Polynesia, you cannot deny their impact on tattoo art and culture.