tribal tattoos
Polynesian skin art
Tribal tattoos are bold, black designs featuring abstract patterns of curves, points, and interlocking shapes, inspired by traditional tattooing from Polynesian, Maori, and other indigenous cultures.
The style became hugely popular in the 1990s and early 2000s, often appearing on upper arms and backs.
Today the term sometimes carries a faintly dismissive connotation, suggesting dated or generic body art: He's got one of those tribal tattoos that everybody was getting in the nineties.
- PolynesianOf Pacific island peoples
- MaoriNew Zealand's indigenous people
- body artDecoration of human skin
- SamoanPolynesian person or tongue
- geometricRelating to mathematical shapes
skin art · strength · cultural heritage · ink · protection · blackwork · symmetry · bold lines · ancestry · indigenous · intricate detailing · rite of passage · coming of age · spiritual meaning · Hawaiian · native culture · tradition · Celtic
- African traditionsinitiation ceremonies, naming ceremony, ancestral worship, rites of passage, healing rituals
- Amazonian tribesGuarani, Amazon tribes, rainforest tribes, clans, village life
- body modificationbody modification, tattoos, piercing, tattooing, piercings
- Ethnic Symbolsclan symbols, totem poles, ceremonial masks, petroglyphs, pictographs
- indigenous traditionselder council, powwows, totem poles, healing rituals, sweat lodges
- Native Americanateepees, moccasins, totem poles, dreamcatchers, tomahawks